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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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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. can — to be able to
  3. last — to go on
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pop — soda
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pop — to visit
  8. can — a tin
  9. vault — a safe
  10. last — final
  11. can — a tin
  12. last — finally
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pop — music
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. shower — to wash
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. shower — rain
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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