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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: mark · fan · board · clip · bowl · cue · shower · bark

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cue — a signal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mark — a grade
  5. board — a committee
  6. clip — to cut
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. clip — a video
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bark — to shout
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. board — to get on
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. shower — rain
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mark — a trace

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