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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. row — a line
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ground — a position
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. shower — rain
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bass — the fish
  12. row — to paddle
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bass — low music
  18. vault — a safe
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bark — to shout
  22. prune — to trim
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. ground — the earth

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