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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
468
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: ruler · bark · bass · shower · land · kick · ball · fork

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. ball — a dance
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bass — low music
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bark — to shout
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. land — to come down
  15. fork — in a road
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bass — the fish
  18. land — ground
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. kick — in football
  23. shower — rain
  24. land — a country

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