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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mug — a cup
  3. toast — bread
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cue — a hint
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mug — a face
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cap — of ice
  14. lean — thin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spring — of water
  17. shower — rain
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cue — for pool
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. cue — a signal
  23. mug — to rob
  24. spring — the season

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