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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: cell · tube · dip · shower · bulb · stem · date · bat

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. tube — a container
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stem — to come from
  24. date — on the calendar

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