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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. face — to confront
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bulb — for light
  5. shower — rain
  6. march — music
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bark — to shout
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spell — magic
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. face — to point toward
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. march — the month
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. spell — letters
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bulb — for light
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com