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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
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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: shower · sharp · bark · date · net · cell · toast · suit

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bark — to shout
  4. suit — in cards
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. date — the fruit
  7. net — in sport
  8. cell — a phone
  9. net — after costs
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. suit — clothes
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. net — for catching
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. shower — to wash
  16. sharp — clever
  17. toast — bread
  18. suit — to fit
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. shower — rain
  24. toast — the most admired

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