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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: bulb · hide · pop · bark · stand · shower · wave · nail

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. shower — rain
  12. pop — music
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stand — to bear
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pop — soda
  24. nail — for a hammer

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