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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rash — a series
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. shower — rain
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rule — government
  17. last — finally
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rule — a law
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rule — to rule out

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