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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. shower — rain
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. ground — crushed
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. ball — a great time
  10. row — to paddle
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. current — happening now
  17. row — a line
  18. shower — to wash
  19. ground — a position
  20. current — electric
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. current — of water
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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