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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bark · cue · lash · shower · fine · root · pop · row

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bark — to shout
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pop — to visit
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fine — all right
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pop — music
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cue — a signal
  15. shower — rain
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pop — soda
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. root — the cause
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cue — for pool
  22. row — a line
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — of a plant

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