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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. spring — of water
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spell — a short time
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. content — happy
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. spring — a coil
  15. shower — rain
  16. track — a path
  17. content — the amount
  18. bulb — for light
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. track — a song
  24. spring — the season

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