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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: lean · court · wave · object · shower · rash · tube · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. object — a thing
  8. stem — to come from
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. tube — a container
  12. shower — rain
  13. court — for sport
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. court — of law
  17. rash — hasty
  18. object — an aim
  19. court — of a king
  20. object — to protest
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rash — a series

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