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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. game — a match
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. prune — to trim
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. fine — high quality
  12. shower — to wash
  13. drill — a practice
  14. shower — rain
  15. lean — to bend
  16. land — a country
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. drill — army training
  20. land — to come down
  21. game — wild animals
  22. land — ground
  23. fine — all right
  24. drill — the 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