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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: chair · deal · wake · shower · fall · plane · firm · bark

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. firm — decided
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. firm — steady
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bark — to shout
  15. fall — the season
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. deal — to handle
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. firm — a company
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. chair — a leader
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — a tool
  24. wake — a trail

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