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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mine — for digging
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bulb — for light
  7. shower — rain
  8. band — a ring
  9. tube — a container
  10. dip — to sink
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. row — to paddle
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. shower — to wash
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. band — a music group
  24. cabinet — ministers

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