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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. capital — money
  4. roll — a list
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mark — a grade
  7. shower — rain
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. craft — boats
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bear — the animal
  14. roll — a cake
  15. craft — a skill
  16. tube — the underground
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mark — a trace
  20. capital — a city
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. tube — a container
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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