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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: mug · fall · rush · stem · lash · bound · shower · can

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. shower — rain
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bound — obliged
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bound — certain
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mug — a face
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. can — a tin
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. stem — a stem cell

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