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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. tube — the underground
  3. object — a thing
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. object — an aim
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wound — an injury
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. tube — a container
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — soda
  17. rest — what's left
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rest — a break
  23. object — to protest
  24. squash — the sport

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