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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. band — a ring
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bank — for money
  7. staff — employees
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. staff — employees
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bank — of a river
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stock — goods
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bank — for money
  20. stock — shares
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. band — a music group
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. staff — a stick

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