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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. row — a line
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cue — for pool
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. row — to paddle
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bulb — for light
  15. clip — a video
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. cue — a signal
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bulb — of a plant

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