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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · race · cell · chip · mug · tear · stem · shower

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. shower — rain
  3. race — humankind
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. tear — to rip
  6. chip — for betting
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. race — a contest
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. shower — to wash
  24. cell — in biology

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