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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 120 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: ball · bark · bear · ground · bass · shower · bank · pound

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ground — a position
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bass — low music
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ball — a dance
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bass — the fish
  23. shower — rain
  24. bass — the instrument

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