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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: shower · ball · lean · fan · mate · bat · content · bark

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. content — the amount
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mate — to breed
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. mate — a partner
  12. lean — thin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. shower — rain
  17. content — happy
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lean — to bend
  22. ball — a great time
  23. shower — to wash
  24. ball — a round shape

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