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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: shower · prune · firm · stand · bark · mug · chest · squash

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bark — to shout
  10. squash — the sport
  11. shower — to wash
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — a company
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mug — a cup
  20. firm — decided
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. shower — rain
  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