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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: pitcher · bound · cell · chair · shower · march · stem · fan

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. march — the month
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bound — certain
  16. shower — rain
  17. cell — in biology
  18. march — the month
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. march — music
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. chair — a leader

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