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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 · bark · staff · mouse · jam · net · mark · drill

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. net — for catching
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mark — a trace
  9. shower — rain
  10. mark — a grade
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. drill — the tool
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. net — after costs
  20. staff — employees
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. staff — employees
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mouse — the 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