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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: saw · shower · bark · plane · bore · arm · pitcher · board

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. plane — a tool
  6. board — to get on
  7. saw — the tool
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. board — a committee
  12. saw — the tool
  13. shower — to wash
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bore — to drill
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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