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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: bark · stem · shower · drill · wound · jam · swing · tube

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. tube — the underground
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wound — an injury
  9. shower — to wash
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wound — an injury
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. drill — army training
  17. tube — a container
  18. swing — music
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. shower — rain

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