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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.

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: arm · bark · calf · bear · shower · pass · saw · spring

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. shower — rain
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bark — to shout
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bear — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. shower — to wash
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spring — a coil
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. spring — the season
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. spring — of water
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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