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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · game · temple · shower · key · bark

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. shower — rain
  3. bark — to shout
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. key — for a lock
  15. shower — to wash
  16. game — a match
  17. bore — to drill
  18. temple — a place of worship

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