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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. last — final
  3. club — for golf
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. fall — the season
  7. last — to go on
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fall — to drop
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. stem — to come from
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. last — finally
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. club — a group
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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