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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 · rock · foot · cell · chip · wound · cap

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — a hat
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bark — to shout
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. shower — to wash
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cell — in biology
  16. foot — a measure
  17. chip — to eat
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rock — music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. shower — rain

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