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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 120 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: shower · stem · bay · game · hide · present · bound · mate

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. shower — to wash
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bound — obliged
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bound — tied together
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. present — the time now
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bound — certain
  18. present — there
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. game — wild animals
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mate — a partner
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. present — a gift

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