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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. file — a tool
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. spell — magic
  10. shower — to wash
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. spell — letters
  13. file — a line of people
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. foot — a measure
  17. spell — a short time
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. file — a document
  21. tube — the underground
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. tube — a container

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