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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 116 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: nail · tube · land · stem · bark · shower · bore · lean

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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 — on a finger
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. lean — thin
  6. shower — rain
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bore — to tire
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bore — to drill
  13. tube — a container
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. land — a country
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. lean — to bend
  20. land — ground
  21. bark — to shout
  22. stem — to come from
  23. land — to come down
  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