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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mug — to rob
  4. shower — rain
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. spell — magic
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. mug — a cup
  19. spell — a short time
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mug — a face
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. prune — to trim

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