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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wound — an injury
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. date — the fruit
  14. foot — a measure
  15. file — a tool
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. mate — a friend
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. mate — a partner

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