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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 120 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: bay · suit · foot · bark · leaves · ground · cue · shower

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. shower — rain
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. foot — a measure
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cue — for pool
  9. ground — crushed
  10. suit — in cards
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. suit — to fit
  13. cue — a signal
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bark — to shout
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ground — a position
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bark — of a tree

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