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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. current — happening now
  4. fall — to drop
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. shower — to wash
  8. band — a music group
  9. fall — to drop
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fall — the season
  13. current — of water
  14. rash — a series
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. rash — hasty
  18. saw — the tool
  19. band — a ring
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. current — electric
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. band — a rubber band

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