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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. degree — from a university
  4. hand — in cards
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bank — for money
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bank — for money
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bass — the fish
  19. degree — temperature
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bass — low music
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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