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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: bass · rash · pound · prune · bark · rest · shower · kid

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rash — a series
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. shower — to wash
  7. kid — child
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. rest — what's left
  13. shower — rain
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pound — a weight
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bark — to shout
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rest — a break
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bass — low music
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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