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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stem — to come from
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. shower — rain
  7. lie — to recline
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spell — a short time
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — a list
  17. spell — letters
  18. tube — a container
  19. bass — low music
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. spell — magic
  23. tube — the underground
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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