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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: leaves · racket · chest · vault · fall · row · shower · stem

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fall — the season
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. vault — a safe
  16. fall — to drop
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. row — a line
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. stem — to come from
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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