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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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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: bear · fine · bark · fork · shower · firm · file · kick

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. firm — steady
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. shower — rain
  7. firm — decided
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. firm — a company
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. fork — to eat with
  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