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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stem — to come from
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. band — a ring
  11. bound — certain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. pop — soda
  16. band — a music group
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bound — tied together
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pop — music
  22. shower — rain
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stem — of a plant

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