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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bear — the animal
  6. branch — a division
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. tube — a container
  10. rush — hurry
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. tube — the underground
  15. chest — a box
  16. ball — a great time
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. foot — a measure

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