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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. shower — rain
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — to bend
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rash — a series
  8. lean — thin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wind — moving air
  11. march — music
  12. present — the time now
  13. march — the month
  14. shower — to wash
  15. present — a gift
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pop — music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pop — to visit
  20. present — there
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pop — soda
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wind — to turn a key

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