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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: bank · bass · toast · pop · last · dip · shower · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pop — music
  3. bass — low music
  4. bark — to shout
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. toast — bread
  8. pop — soda
  9. shower — rain
  10. last — final
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bank — for money
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. last — to go on
  22. shower — to wash
  23. last — finally
  24. bass — the fish

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