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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: shower · nail · bore · race · cap · squash · bark · bay

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. cap — of ice
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bore — to tire
  7. shower — rain
  8. race — the arms race
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bore — to drill

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