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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: game · suit · stem · rush · bear · shower · ball · squash

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. suit — in cards
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stem — to come from
  8. shower — rain
  9. game — wild animals
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. game — a match
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. suit — to fit
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rush — hurry
  19. squash — to crush
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bear — the animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. squash — the vegetable

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