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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stem — to come from
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. spring — a coil
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. row — to paddle
  15. spring — the season
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. row — a line
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. spring — of water
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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