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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 120 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. foot — a measure
  3. snap — to click
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cold — an illness
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bound — certain
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. stem — to come from
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. shower — to wash

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