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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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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 · last · can · ground · fan · shower · bear · key

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. can — a tin
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. last — to go on
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. shower — rain
  18. can — to be able to
  19. shower — to wash
  20. can — a tin
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. key — in music
  24. ground — the earth

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