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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lean — thin
  4. bass — low music
  5. march — the month
  6. mug — a cup
  7. suit — in cards
  8. can — a tin
  9. stem — to come from
  10. can — a tin
  11. bass — the fish
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a face
  15. suit — clothes
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. march — music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. march — the month
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. suit — to fit

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