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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. stem — to come from
  3. shower — to wash
  4. present — the time now
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fine — all right
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. present — a gift
  9. fine — high quality
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bank — of a river
  13. lean — thin
  14. shower — rain
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. present — there
  18. bank — for money
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bank — for money
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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