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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. stem — to come from
  3. swing — music
  4. spring — of water
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. kick — in football
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. swing — in golf
  15. mate — a partner
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mate — to breed
  19. swing — to play on
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mate — a friend
  23. spring — the season
  24. perch — for a bird

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