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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stem — to come from
  9. shower — rain
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cold — an illness
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cold — not warm

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