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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. spring — the season
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bank — of a river
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. deal — to handle
  13. roll — a list
  14. shower — rain
  15. bank — for money
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bank — for money
  22. spring — of water
  23. roll — on a roll
  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