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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: rock · shower · mate · cell · spell · mouse · present · stand

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. rock — music
  3. cell — a phone
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. shower — rain
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. spell — a short time
  8. present — the time now
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. present — there
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spell — letters
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mate — to breed
  18. shower — to wash
  19. present — a gift
  20. cell — in biology
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mate — a friend
  23. spell — magic
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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