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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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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: tear · shower · board · rule · drill · arm · calf · stem

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. board — a committee
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. shower — to wash
  7. tear — to rip
  8. board — to get on
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. drill — the tool
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. stem — to come from
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. shower — rain
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stem — a stem cell

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