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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 · pitch · foot · bark · spring · can · pitcher · fork

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fork — in a road
  3. spring — the season
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spring — of water
  7. pitch — completely
  8. shower — rain
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. can — a tin
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. can — a tin
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. spring — a coil

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