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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stem — to come from
  4. scale — in music
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bank — of a river
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cap — a hat
  10. shower — rain
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. hand — help
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. scale — size or range
  15. hand — in cards
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bat — the animal
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — clothes
  20. bank — for money
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bank — for money
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cap — a lid

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