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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 120 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: fork · chair · wave · shower · fine · bark · band · fan

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fine — high quality
  5. chair — a leader
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. shower — to wash
  11. band — a ring
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — rain
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fine — all right

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