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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. branch — a division
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. shower — rain
  11. fall — to drop
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. kid — child
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bulb — for light

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