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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: stem · pitcher · firm · tear · degree · shower · track · rush

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. firm — a company
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. track — a song
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. shower — to wash
  10. degree — from a university
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tear — from crying
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rush — hurry
  17. firm — steady
  18. track — a path
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. track — to keep track
  21. tear — from crying
  22. firm — decided
  23. stem — to come from
  24. degree — temperature

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