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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. shower — rain
  3. spring — the season
  4. track — a song
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. can — a tin
  8. spring — of water
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. can — a tin
  13. track — a path
  14. shower — to wash
  15. track — to keep track
  16. sharp — clever
  17. spring — a coil
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tube — the underground
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. tube — a container

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