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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: bark · bass · rash · tube · shower · bore · dip · spring

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. tube — a container
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bass — the fish
  6. shower — rain
  7. bark — to shout
  8. shower — to wash
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rash — a series
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. spring — the season
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bass — low music
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rash — hasty

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