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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.

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: court · lean · cell · lash · pitcher · shower · object · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. object — an aim
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lean — thin
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cell — in biology
  8. shower — rain
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. court — of a king
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. object — to protest
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cell — a phone
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. object — a thing

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