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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: fork · shower · temple · bulb · bark · pitcher · trunk · stick

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bulb — for light
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. shower — to wash
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bark — to shout
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fork — in a road

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