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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. file — a document
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ball — a dance
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. object — to protest
  15. degree — an amount
  16. file — a tool
  17. ball — a great time
  18. object — an aim
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. ground — a position
  21. file — a line of people
  22. ground — the earth
  23. object — a thing
  24. stem — to come from

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