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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stem — to come from
  7. key — in music
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — a company
  10. rush — hurry
  11. roll — a list
  12. last — to go on
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. shower — rain
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. roll — a cake
  23. shower — to wash
  24. roll — on a roll

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