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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 116 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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. bear — the animal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. snap — to click
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hand — in cards
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bear — the animal
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. tube — the underground
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fall — the season
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lie — to recline
  22. tube — a container
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. tube — in a tire

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