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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: hand · shower · last · bark · mouse · board · mate · lie

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lie — to recline
  5. board — a committee
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bark — to shout
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mate — a friend
  14. last — final
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mate — a partner
  17. shower — rain
  18. board — to get on
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. hand — help

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