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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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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: present · swing · shower · pound · safe · stem · bark · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. present — the time now
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. kick — in football
  8. swing — in golf
  9. shower — rain
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bark — to shout
  16. swing — to play on
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. stem — to come from
  21. present — there
  22. shower — to wash
  23. present — a gift
  24. swing — music

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