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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: spell · bark · can · lean · shower · cap · row · patient

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. cap — of ice
  3. shower — rain
  4. cap — a lid
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bark — to shout
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. spell — letters
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. spell — magic
  20. can — a tin
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cap — a hat
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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