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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. file — a document
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. band — a music group
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stem — to come from
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. band — a ring
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. file — a tool
  23. safe — out of danger
  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