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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: kid · shower · stem · cabinet · trunk · roll · bass · bay

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. kid — child
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bass — low music
  13. shower — rain
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bass — the fish
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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