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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: pitcher · bear · stem · nail · mate · track · shower · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. shower — rain
  5. stem — to come from
  6. mate — to breed
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. shower — to wash
  10. present — a gift
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. present — the time now
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mate — a friend
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pitcher — a jug

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