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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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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: chest · stem · bore · suit · ball · craft · prune · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. craft — boats
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. stem — to come from
  6. prune — to trim
  7. shower — rain
  8. suit — in cards
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. ball — a great time
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. chest — a box
  16. suit — clothes
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. chest — of your body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bore — to drill

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