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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: mate · mouse · wave · fall · march · staff · shower · stem

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — a friend
  7. staff — employees
  8. stem — to come from
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. fall — to drop
  13. shower — to wash
  14. staff — a stick
  15. mate — to breed
  16. staff — employees
  17. march — the month
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. shower — rain
  22. march — music
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. stem — of a plant

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