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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: fall · can · pit · stem · rush · shower · bay · bat

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. fall — to drop
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fall — the season
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bat — the animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. shower — rain
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. stem — of a plant

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