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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pop — soda
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pass — a permit
  12. row — a line
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bound — certain
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bound — tied together
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pop — music
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. shower — rain

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