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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. band — a ring
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. shower — to wash
  6. band — a music group
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. drill — army training
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fine — all right
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fine — high quality
  21. shower — rain
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pound — a weight
  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