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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · vault · mug · bark · craft · shower · cold · leaves

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. mug — a face
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. craft — a skill
  19. mug — to rob
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mug — a cup
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. vault — a safe
  24. cold — not warm

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