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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. face — to point toward
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. fork — in a road
  12. face — to confront
  13. shower — rain
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. branch — a division
  17. cue — for pool
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. deal — to handle
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bowl — to roll

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