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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
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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 · straw · shower · court · saw · spell · pit · mouse

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pit — a hole
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. court — for sport
  6. spell — a short time
  7. saw — the tool
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. court — of law
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. spell — letters
  12. pit — in a race
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stem — to come from
  16. court — of a king
  17. spell — magic
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. saw — the tool

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