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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bark — to shout
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. race — humankind
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. present — there
  8. present — the time now
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. shower — rain
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. race — a contest
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. present — a gift

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