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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 116 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
468
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: shower · hide · bark · craft · fall · bass · cap · net

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bass — the fish
  6. net — for catching
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a skill
  9. shower — to wash
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fall — the season
  13. bark — to shout
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. shower — rain
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fall — to drop
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hide — to keep secret

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