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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tear · kick · tube · bark · rush · temple · stem · hand

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rush — hurry
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. tube — a container
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. tube — the underground
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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