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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: shower · mark · can · track · bark · date · craft · pitcher

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. track — a song
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — a skill
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mark — a grade
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. can — a tin
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. shower — to wash
  21. craft — boats
  22. date — the fruit
  23. mark — a trace
  24. shower — rain

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