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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spring — the season
  3. lean — thin
  4. stand — to bear
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fork — in a road
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. spring — of water
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. spring — a coil
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. shower — rain

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