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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · rest · mouse · stem · game · pass

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pass — a permit
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. game — a match
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. mouse — for a computer

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