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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.

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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 · spell · key · bark · pitcher · bore · mark · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. spell — letters
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. shower — rain
  10. staff — employees
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bore — to tire
  20. staff — employees
  21. key — the most important part
  22. spell — magic
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. shower — to wash

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