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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 116 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: bound · rash · bank · pop · band · bark · shower · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ground — a position
  6. pop — music
  7. bank — for money
  8. ground — crushed
  9. band — a ring
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bound — certain
  16. rash — a series
  17. pop — soda
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bank — for money
  20. bound — obliged
  21. band — a music group
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bark — of a tree

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