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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. present — a gift
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. wound — an injury
  6. shower — rain
  7. present — there
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pound — a weight
  10. present — the time now
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. drill — a practice
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stem — to come from
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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