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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.

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: fork · pass · game · wound · season · prune · shower · stem

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. season — of the year
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. game — wild animals
  5. season — in sport
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stem — to come from
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. game — a match
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wound — an injury

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