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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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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: march · tear · stem · racket · face · lash · shower · object

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. march — music
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stem — to come from
  4. object — a thing
  5. march — the month
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. shower — rain
  8. march — the month
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. object — to protest
  11. tear — from crying
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. object — an aim
  15. tear — from crying
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. face — part of the head
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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