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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. date — the fruit
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. spell — letters
  7. drill — the tool
  8. spell — magic
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. firm — a company
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pound — a weight
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. spell — a short time
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. stem — to come from
  24. firm — decided

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