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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. last — to go on
  4. rush — hurry
  5. object — an aim
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. club — for dancing
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. object — to protest
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. stem — to come from
  12. object — a thing
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. shower — rain
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. branch — a division
  19. last — final
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stem — of a plant

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