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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: shower · present · arm · leaves · stem · bore · bear · rule

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. bore — to tire
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. present — a gift
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bore — to drill
  21. rule — government
  22. shower — rain
  23. arm — a part of something
  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