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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bore — to tire
  3. shower — rain
  4. bank — for money
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. court — of law
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. court — of a king
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. bank — for money
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. court — for sport
  18. bark — to shout
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. last — finally
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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