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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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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: bark · bank · bulb · race · fork · kid · bore · shower

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. kid — child
  4. bank — of a river
  5. race — a contest
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bulb — for light
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bank — for money
  13. shower — rain
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bank — for money
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. race — humankind
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bark — to shout
  20. kid — to tease
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bore — to drill
  23. fork — in a road
  24. race — the arms race

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