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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. shower — rain
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. shower — to wash
  6. row — a line
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. current — of water
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. current — electric
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. row — to paddle
  16. last — to go on
  17. stem — to come from
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. last — finally
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. last — final
  23. current — happening now
  24. safe — out of danger

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