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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cue — a signal
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. spell — letters
  5. scale — size or range
  6. saw — the tool
  7. shower — rain
  8. cue — for pool
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. branch — a division
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. scale — in music
  14. bass — low music
  15. rash — a series
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rash — hasty
  18. spell — magic
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cue — a hint
  24. shower — to wash

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