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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: mate · shower · ruler · wind · leaves · bark

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mate — a friend
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. shower — rain
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wind — moving air
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mate — a partner
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. leaves — lets stay

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