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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rash — a series
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bass — low music
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — hasty
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. shower — rain
  23. bass — the fish
  24. nail — on a finger

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