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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: wake · bark · fall · court · pop · leaves · shower · temple

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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 — a dog's sound
  2. wake — a trail
  3. court — of a king
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. shower — to wash
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pop — music
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. court — of law
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. court — for sport
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bark — to shout
  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