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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. content — the amount
  8. shower — to wash
  9. prune — to trim
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. content — happy
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. shower — rain
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. kid — child
  20. pass — a permit
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. kid — to tease

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