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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. row — to paddle
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rest — what's left
  10. row — a line
  11. shower — rain
  12. tube — a container
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rest — a break
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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