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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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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: stem · bound · shower · lash · drill · mate · cell · club

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mate — a friend
  4. cell — a phone
  5. drill — army training
  6. bound — tied together
  7. club — a group
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mate — a partner
  10. club — for golf
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. cell — in biology
  18. shower — to wash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bound — certain
  22. club — for dancing
  23. shower — rain
  24. drill — a practice

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