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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bank — for money
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lean — to bend
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. shower — rain
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bank — for money
  15. fine — high quality
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lean — thin
  18. shower — to wash

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