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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 120 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bark — to shout
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cap — of ice
  6. ground — a position
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. ground — the earth
  11. shower — rain
  12. ground — crushed
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. season — of the year
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rash — a series

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