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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. spring — of water
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. spring — a coil
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. spring — the season
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bark — to shout
  17. roll — a cake
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. roll — a list
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. snap — to click
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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