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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. craft — boats
  3. rash — a series
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. fall — the season
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rash — hasty
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rush — hurry
  21. craft — a skill
  22. shower — rain
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mine — an explosive

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