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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stem — to come from
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mate — to breed
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bass — low music
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fall — the season
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mate — a friend
  22. fall — to drop
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pass — to succeed

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