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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. chest — a box
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. vault — a safe
  5. saw — the tool
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. band — a ring
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. branch — a division
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. shower — to wash
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. chest — of your body
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. band — a music group
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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