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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 120 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. club — for dancing
  4. season — of the year
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. spell — a short time
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. club — for golf
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. club — a group
  12. stem — to come from
  13. chip — for betting
  14. spell — magic
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. spell — letters
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chip — to eat
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. foot — a measure
  21. season — in sport
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — part of the body

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