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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: racket · spell · straw · bark · shower · present · roll · date

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. shower — rain
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spell — magic
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. roll — a cake
  9. date — the fruit
  10. spell — letters
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. roll — a list
  16. present — a gift
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bark — to shout
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. present — there
  22. shower — to wash
  23. present — the time now
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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