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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: dip · shower · chair · mouse · kick · stem · pop · vault

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. vault — a safe
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pop — soda
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. shower — rain
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. kick — in football
  10. chair — a leader
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pop — music
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pop — to visit

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