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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: deal · swing · shower · band · leaves · bark · mark · last

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. shower — to wash
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. last — final
  7. bark — to shout
  8. swing — to play on
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. band — a music group
  13. mark — a grade
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mark — a trace
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. last — to go on
  20. shower — rain
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. swing — in golf
  23. last — finally
  24. deal — an agreement

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