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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. track — a song
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. rash — a series
  12. wake — a trail
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. track — a path
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. lie — to recline

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