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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 116 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rock — music
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hand — help
  10. shower — rain
  11. drill — army training
  12. content — the amount
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. content — happy
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. shower — to wash
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bulb — for light

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