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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · pass · stem · leaves · shower · wave · hand · rest

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. shower — rain
  3. season — in sport
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rest — what's left
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rest — what's left
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rest — a break
  18. pass — a permit
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. hand — help
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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