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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. race — a contest
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. race — humankind
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. shower — to wash
  10. race — the arms race
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pass — a permit
  16. shower — rain
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. tube — a container

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