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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.

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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: arm · plane · rush · stem · spell · shower · hide · drill

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. drill — a practice
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. drill — the tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. drill — army training
  10. spell — letters
  11. plane — a tool
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. shower — rain
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. spell — a short time
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stem — to come from
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. spell — magic

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