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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 120 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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. spell — magic
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bear — the animal
  5. file — a document
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bear — the animal
  11. file — a line of people
  12. rest — a break
  13. spring — a coil
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. spring — the season
  18. rest — what's left
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. shower — rain
  22. wake — a trail
  23. spring — of water
  24. file — a tool

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