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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 · craft · mine · wind · bark · object · rock · calf

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rock — a stone
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bark — to shout
  6. craft — boats
  7. object — to protest
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. object — an aim
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. shower — rain
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. craft — a skill
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wind — moving air
  20. object — a thing
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rock — music
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. calf — a young animal

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