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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bulb — for light
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. shower — rain
  5. spring — of water
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. tube — the underground
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bulb — for light
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. spring — the season
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spring — a coil
  17. shower — to wash
  18. dip — to sink
  19. snap — to click
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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