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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: spell · cap · cabinet · shower · stem · board · scale · bark

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. cap — a lid
  2. stem — to come from
  3. spell — letters
  4. scale — size or range
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. spell — a short time
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. scale — in music
  15. board — to get on
  16. spell — magic
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. board — a committee
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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