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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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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 · mine · nail · foot · trunk · stem · ball · pass

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. stem — to come from
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pass — a permit
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. shower — rain
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. foot — a measure

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