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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 120 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 · suit · land · pop · bay · bear · leaves

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. suit — clothes
  5. suit — in cards
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pop — music
  11. shower — to wash
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. land — to come down
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. suit — to fit
  24. shower — rain

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