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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wind — moving air
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. shower — to wash
  6. fine — all right
  7. bound — certain
  8. staff — employees
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. staff — a stick
  12. dip — to sink
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. staff — employees
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bound — obliged
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bound — tied together

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