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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: lean · shower · tear · pass · stand · saw · staff · bark

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. shower — to wash
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. lean — thin
  6. staff — employees
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. staff — a stick
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stand — to bear
  15. tear — from crying
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lean — to bend
  18. staff — employees
  19. tear — from crying
  20. shower — rain
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pass — a permit
  24. saw — the tool

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