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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · bark · net · season · file · lash · race · shower

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. file — a document
  4. land — to come down
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. race — humankind
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. shower — rain
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. net — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. net — after costs
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. race — a contest
  17. net — for catching
  18. race — the arms race
  19. file — a line of people
  20. season — in sport
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. file — a tool
  23. land — a country
  24. bark — to shout

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