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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. season — of the year
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. season — in sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. shower — to wash
  11. scale — in music
  12. fall — the season
  13. shower — rain
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stem — to come from
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. fall — to drop
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. scale — for weighing

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