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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: bat · bound · bark · fine · shower · bulb · pitch · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. pitch — completely
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bound — certain
  5. shower — rain
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bark — to shout
  18. fine — all right
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bound — obliged
  24. fine — a penalty

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