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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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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: march · shower · bark · staff · cap · board · roll · lie

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. roll — a list
  4. bark — to shout
  5. staff — employees
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. board — a committee
  10. staff — a stick
  11. board — to get on
  12. lie — to recline
  13. roll — a cake
  14. march — the month
  15. cap — a lid
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cap — a hat
  18. march — music
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. staff — employees
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. march — the month
  23. cap — of ice
  24. lie — an untruth

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