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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. shower — rain
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fine — high quality
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fine — all right
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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