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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. spring — of water
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. lean — thin
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. can — a tin
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. shower — to wash
  13. spring — the season
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. club — a group
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. shower — rain
  20. stock — goods
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stock — shares
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. spring — a coil

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