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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. object — an aim
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. club — for golf
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cue — for pool
  9. stem — to come from
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mug — a face
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cue — a hint
  16. mug — a cup
  17. shower — rain
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mug — to rob
  21. field — a subject
  22. club — a group
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cue — a signal

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