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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.

Words on the sheet
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: row · fall · spring · shower · coach · cue · degree · stem

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fall — the season
  3. degree — an amount
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cue — for pool
  6. spring — a coil
  7. degree — from a university
  8. shower — rain
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spring — of water
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cue — a hint
  16. degree — temperature
  17. row — to paddle
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cue — a signal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. spring — the season

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