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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. drill — army training
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. shower — to wash
  9. land — a country
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. shower — rain
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cap — a hat
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. key — in music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. land — to come down
  20. key — the most important part
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wound — an injury
  23. land — ground
  24. wound — an injury

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