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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. dip — to sink
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. capital — money
  5. key — for a lock
  6. current — electric
  7. shower — to wash
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stem — to come from
  11. key — in music
  12. capital — a city
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. current — of water
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. key — the most important part
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. current — happening now

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