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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. shower — rain
  3. dip — to sink
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wind — moving air
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tube — the underground
  20. shower — to wash
  21. season — of the year
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. season — in sport
  24. spring — of water

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