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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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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: shower · foot · rest · fan · bark · prune · race · mark

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rest — a break
  5. foot — a measure
  6. race — the arms race
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. race — humankind
  10. mark — a grade
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mark — a trace
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bark — to shout
  20. shower — rain
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. foot — the bottom

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