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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 124 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: date · lean · leaves · bark · shower · pop · row · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. row — a line
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pop — soda
  5. race — humankind
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. race — a contest
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. lean — thin
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lean — to bend
  15. row — to paddle
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bark — to shout
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pop — music

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