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

Word bank: pound · rock · shower · stem · jam · kid

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. rock — a stone
  9. shower — to wash
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. kid — to tease
  16. shower — rain
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rock — music

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