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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. shower — rain
  3. mate — a friend
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mug — to rob
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mug — a face
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bank — for money
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. clip — to cut
  21. snap — to click
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mug — a cup
  24. clip — a video

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