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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.

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: shower · bass · club · racket · content · bowl · nail · bark

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. club — for golf
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. shower — rain
  12. bass — low music
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bass — the fish
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. content — the amount
  17. bark — to shout
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. content — happy
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. shower — to wash
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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