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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: fine · court · cabinet · wind · jam · shower · pop · stem

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. court — for sport
  3. pop — soda
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. shower — rain
  10. fine — all right
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. pop — music
  18. fine — high quality
  19. court — of law
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. court — of a king
  23. jam — in traffic
  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