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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rule — a law
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bass — the fish
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. rule — government
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bass — low music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. shower — rain

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