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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: stem · shower · pop · season · court · bore · lash · snap

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. court — of a king
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pop — to visit
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. snap — to click
  11. court — for sport
  12. stem — to come from
  13. court — of law
  14. shower — rain
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. season — of the year
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. lash — an eyelash

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