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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fall — to drop
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. board — to get on
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. drill — army training
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fall — the season
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. drill — a practice
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stem — to come from
  20. ground — the earth
  21. shower — rain
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. mine — belonging to me

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