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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 116 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. shower — rain
  5. object — an aim
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. object — to protest
  8. saw — the tool
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. saw — the tool
  20. branch — a division
  21. object — a thing
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wound — an injury

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