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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 120 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. row — a line
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lean — thin
  8. bulb — for light
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fine — all right
  14. row — to paddle
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fine — high quality
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bulb — of a plant

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