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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: mine · bass · cabinet · stand · fan · shower · sharp · bark

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bass — low music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. shower — rain
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stand — to bear
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bark — to shout

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