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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. spell — magic
  5. drill — a practice
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. spell — letters
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. drill — army training
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. club — for dancing
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. club — a group
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. spell — a short time
  22. club — for golf
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. shower — to wash

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