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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. staff — employees
  4. march — the month
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chip — to eat
  7. shower — to wash
  8. staff — employees
  9. net — in sport
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. march — music
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cap — a hat
  15. staff — a stick
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. net — for catching
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cap — of ice
  21. chip — for betting
  22. march — the month
  23. net — after costs
  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