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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: ruler · shower · board · bark · patient · present · jam · firm

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. present — the time now
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. firm — decided
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — a company
  18. present — there
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bark — to shout
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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