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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 116 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: rash · bound · nail · shower · spell · staff · stem · track

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. track — to keep track
  5. stem — to come from
  6. track — a path
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. track — a song
  9. spell — letters
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. rash — a series
  15. shower — rain
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. shower — to wash
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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