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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: stem · date · hide · land · bay · race · shower · tear

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. land — ground
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. land — a country
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. race — a contest
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. race — the arms race
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. date — the fruit
  19. tear — from crying
  20. shower — rain
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. land — to come down
  23. stem — to come from
  24. race — humankind

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