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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. hand — help
  3. can — a tin
  4. chest — a box
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. shower — to wash
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. spring — a coil
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. can — to be able to
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hand — in cards
  21. shower — rain
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. can — a tin

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