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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: stem · court · safe · shower · fan · toast · rest · land

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. court — of a king
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. stem — to come from
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. land — to come down
  10. rest — what's left
  11. land — a country
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. shower — rain
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. toast — bread
  18. rest — what's left
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. court — for sport
  21. rest — a break
  22. court — of law
  23. shower — to wash
  24. land — ground

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