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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: bark · pop · shower · chair · ball · bore · trunk · object

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ball — a dance
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. object — an aim
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pop — soda
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bore — to drill
  13. chair — a leader
  14. object — to protest
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pop — music
  19. ball — a great time
  20. object — a thing
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bark — to shout

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