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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: file · foot · bark · shower · root · hide · tear · date

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. shower — rain
  6. file — a document
  7. root — of a word
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. root — the cause
  14. file — a line of people
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. root — of a plant
  23. file — a tool
  24. shower — to wash

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