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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. suit — to fit
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. season — in sport
  6. game — a match
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. stem — to come from
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. suit — in cards
  14. shower — to wash
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. season — of the year
  20. suit — clothes
  21. rush — hurry
  22. branch — a division
  23. game — wild animals
  24. shower — rain

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