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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · dip · row · mine · ruler · trunk · shower · bay

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mine — for digging
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. row — to paddle
  12. shower — rain
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. shower — to wash
  15. row — a line
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. capital — money
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. capital — a city
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. dip — to sink

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