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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: shower · temple · wave · wake · chair · stem · can · bound

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stem — to come from
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bound — obliged
  9. shower — rain
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. can — a tin
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. can — a tin
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. wake — a trail
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. can — to be able to
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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