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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lean — thin
  4. clip — to cut
  5. spell — magic
  6. rush — hurry
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. clip — a video
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. spell — letters
  15. craft — boats
  16. march — the month
  17. craft — a skill
  18. shower — rain
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. clip — for paper
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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