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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.

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: bay · season · shower · squash · bark · lash · foot · board

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. season — in sport
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. shower — rain
  11. season — of the year
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. squash — the sport
  14. foot — a measure
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. board — a committee
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. board — to get on
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. foot — the bottom

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