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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 116 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. band — a music group
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. shower — rain
  5. spell — letters
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cue — for pool
  8. last — to go on
  9. cue — a hint
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stem — to come from
  14. last — final
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. last — finally
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cue — a signal

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