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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. game — wild animals
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pass — a permit
  14. branch — a division
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. game — a match
  23. shower — rain
  24. stem — to come from

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