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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bank — for money
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pop — music
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pop — to visit
  12. shower — rain
  13. bank — for money
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cell — a phone
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pop — soda
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bank — of a river

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