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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 124 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rush — hurry
  3. shower — rain
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fork — in a road
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. spell — magic
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. tear — to rip
  23. shower — to wash
  24. tear — from crying

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