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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: shower · bark · bound · perch · craft · mark · stem · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. craft — a skill
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. craft — boats
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. rash — a series
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bound — obliged
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rash — hasty
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. stem — to come from
  22. perch — the fish
  23. shower — rain
  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