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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. current — happening now
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. track — a song
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bass — low music
  9. spring — the season
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tube — a container
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bass — the fish
  14. spring — a coil
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. current — electric
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. current — of water
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. spring — of water
  24. kick — in football

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