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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.

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: wave · shower · present · club · trunk · pitcher · bark · bowl

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. present — there
  4. club — a group
  5. present — the time now
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. shower — rain
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bark — to shout
  14. shower — to wash
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. club — for dancing
  19. present — a gift
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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