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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. file — a line of people
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. file — a tool
  5. march — music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cue — for pool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cue — a signal
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cue — a hint
  15. march — the month
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. file — a document
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. shower — rain
  23. march — the month
  24. stem — a stem cell

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