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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: object · shower · pound · current · lean · wake · bark · pit

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. object — to protest
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. object — a thing
  4. shower — to wash
  5. current — of water
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. object — an aim
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. current — happening now
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. shower — rain
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. current — electric
  23. pound — a weight
  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