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

Word bank: bark · bay · shower · nail · kick · row

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. row — a line
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. row — to paddle
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. shower — to wash
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. kick — in football
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bay — a horse colour

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