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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. shower — rain
  3. spring — of water
  4. capital — a city
  5. bank — for money
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. capital — money
  9. stem — to come from
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. spring — the season
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bank — of a river
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bulb — for light
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bank — for money
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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