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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: spell · pop · can · lean · net · bark · temple · shower

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pop — to visit
  3. can — to be able to
  4. net — after costs
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pop — music
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. spell — letters
  11. can — a tin
  12. shower — rain
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. shower — to wash
  16. net — for catching
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — thin
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. pop — soda
  23. can — a tin
  24. bark — a dog's sound

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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