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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 116 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: shower · firm · hand · deal · bat · stick · bark · bear

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. hand — in cards
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bear — the animal
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. firm — steady
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. firm — a company
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. shower — rain
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. firm — decided
  24. hand — help

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