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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: bark · racket · cap · race · bulb · nail · prune · shower

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bulb — for light
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bulb — for light
  12. race — humankind
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. shower — rain
  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