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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 116 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: saw · deal · present · shower · chair · drill · net · stem

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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 — a meteor shower
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. chair — a leader
  7. net — after costs
  8. present — there
  9. shower — to wash
  10. saw — the tool
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. present — a gift
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. net — for catching
  17. present — the time now
  18. drill — army training
  19. net — in sport
  20. shower — rain
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. chair — a professorship
  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