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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: stem · pop · shower · club · saw · mouse · vault · rash

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. rash — hasty
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. club — a group
  6. rash — a series
  7. pop — soda
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pop — to visit
  20. club — for golf
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pop — music
  24. shower — rain

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