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

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. lie — to recline
  3. stock — shares
  4. shower — rain
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. kid — to tease
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. stock — goods
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. fork — in a road
  20. shower — to wash
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kid — child
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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