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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.

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: ball · vault · bark · bass · bear · shower · rule · bore

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. rule — government
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bear — the animal
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bore — to tire
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rule — a law
  16. bass — low music
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bear — the animal
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. shower — rain

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