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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: roll · patient · bark · stem · rock · chest · shower · fall

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chest — of your body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bark — to shout
  8. roll — a list
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. chest — a box
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fall — the season
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. shower — rain
  24. fall — to drop

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