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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 120 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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spring — a coil
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. drill — the tool
  9. swing — music
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bear — the animal
  13. spring — the season
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. staff — employees
  18. pound — a weight
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. drill — army training
  22. spring — of water
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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