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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: net · roll · drill · bark · straw · object · shower · stand

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. shower — rain
  4. net — for catching
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. object — a thing
  7. drill — army training
  8. shower — to wash
  9. object — an aim
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bark — to shout
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. net — in sport
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. object — to protest
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stand — to bear
  22. net — after costs
  23. roll — a list
  24. straw — dry grass

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