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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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468
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 · fine · hand · stem · row · kick · leaves · stick

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. kick — in football
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — in cards
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. row — to paddle
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. shower — rain
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. fine — all right
  18. row — a line
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. hand — help
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. hand — part of the body
  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