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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 · bore · kid · season · fine · fan · bear · shower

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bore — to tire
  4. shower — rain
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. season — of the year
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bore — to drill
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — to come from
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. kid — child
  23. fine — all right
  24. kid — to tease

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