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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pit — a hole
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. tube — a container
  7. spring — a coil
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bark — to shout
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. spring — the season
  15. shower — rain
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. spring — of water
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bark — of a tree

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