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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: nail · last · content · dip · prune · shower · fall · stem

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. shower — rain
  3. fall — the season
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. shower — to wash
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. last — finally
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. fall — to drop
  13. last — final
  14. content — happy
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stem — to come from
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. last — to go on
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. dip — to sink

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