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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bank — for money
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mug — a face
  7. bank — of a river
  8. net — after costs
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bank — for money
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. net — for catching
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mug — a cup
  17. shower — rain
  18. cabinet — a cupboard

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