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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 · stem · roll · track · lie · mouse · mate · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. shower — to wash
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mate — to breed
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mate — a friend
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lie — to recline
  15. scale — in music
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mate — a partner
  18. track — to keep track
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. shower — rain
  24. stem — to come from

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