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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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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: bowl · court · fan · shower · drill · leaves · bark · object

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. object — an aim
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. object — a thing
  8. drill — army training
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. shower — to wash
  14. drill — a practice
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. object — to protest
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. shower — rain
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. leaves — lets stay

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