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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. dip — to sink
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fork — in a road
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. game — a match
  16. shower — rain
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. shower — to wash

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