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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pop — music
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. shower — rain
  5. toast — bread
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pop — soda
  9. bulb — for light
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. tube — a container
  13. pop — to visit
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bulb — for light
  18. shower — to wash
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fan — a supporter

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