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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 · game · prune · pop · cabinet · pass · shower · arm

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. shower — rain
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pop — music
  8. pass — a permit
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. shower — to wash
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bark — to shout
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. game — a match
  22. pop — soda
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pop — to visit

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