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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: cap · fine · fall · chest · bark · shower · kick · pitcher

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kick — in football
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. shower — rain
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. chest — a box
  16. fall — the season
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cap — of ice
  21. fine — all right
  22. cap — a lid
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cap — a hat

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