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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. cell — a phone
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. suit — to fit
  5. field — farmland
  6. suit — in cards
  7. field — for sport
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. stem — to come from
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. suit — clothes
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. content — the amount
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cell — in biology
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. field — a subject
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. content — happy

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