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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: staff · lean · cold · cabinet · fine · saw · bark · shower

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bark — to shout
  3. cold — not warm
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fine — all right
  7. cold — an illness
  8. lean — thin
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. staff — employees
  11. shower — rain
  12. staff — employees
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. staff — a stick
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. shower — to wash
  23. lean — to bend
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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