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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. land — ground
  3. cold — not warm
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bark — to shout
  6. land — to come down
  7. season — of the year
  8. bound — certain
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bound — obliged
  12. craft — boats
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bound — tied together
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. suit — in cards
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. shower — to wash
  21. suit — to fit
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. land — a country
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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