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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. deal — to handle
  4. rule — a law
  5. shower — to wash
  6. rule — government
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bound — certain
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bass — the fish
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wind — moving air
  24. deal — a big deal

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