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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: bark · shower · spell · lash · row · rush · cabinet · tube

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. shower — to wash
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. row — a line
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. spell — letters
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bark — to shout
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. shower — rain
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. row — to paddle
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. spell — a short time
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. tube — in a tire

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