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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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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: shower · nail · court · rule · wake · can · bark · season

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. rule — a law
  6. shower — rain
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. can — to be able to
  10. shower — to wash
  11. court — of a king
  12. can — a tin
  13. season — of the year
  14. court — of law
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. court — for sport
  20. bark — to shout
  21. can — a tin
  22. season — in sport
  23. rule — government
  24. nail — on a finger

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