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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: foot · pop · race · kid · suit · shower · bark · lean

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. kid — child
  4. lean — thin
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. shower — rain
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. race — a contest
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. suit — to fit
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pop — to visit
  16. suit — clothes
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pop — music
  19. lean — to bend
  20. race — humankind
  21. pop — soda
  22. bark — to shout
  23. kid — to tease
  24. suit — in cards

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