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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. band — a ring
  4. fall — the season
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. land — ground
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. shower — to wash
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fall — to drop
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pitcher — a jug

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