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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: plane · bark · shower · staff · snap · bass · bowl · can

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. staff — employees
  3. bass — the fish
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. shower — to wash
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. can — to be able to
  10. shower — rain
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bass — low music
  13. plane — a tool
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. snap — to click
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. plane — an aircraft

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