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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rock — a stone
  5. content — the amount
  6. spring — of water
  7. object — a thing
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mate — a partner
  10. object — an aim
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. spring — a coil
  13. shower — to wash
  14. object — to protest
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wound — an injury
  17. shower — rain
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. content — happy
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. spring — the season
  24. rock — music

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