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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: band · cell · shower · pass · racket · game · bark · bowl

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. shower — rain
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cell — in biology
  19. game — a match
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. shower — to wash
  24. racket — a loud noise

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