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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.

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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: bay · wound · hide · ground · sharp · bark · shower · mug

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. sharp — clever
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mug — a face
  10. bark — to shout
  11. ground — a position
  12. wound — an injury
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mug — a cup
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. mug — to rob

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