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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: net · wake · shower · bark · band · board · stick · stand

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wake — a trail
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. board — to get on
  5. net — after costs
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. net — for catching
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. board — a committee
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stand — to bear
  21. net — in sport
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. band — a music group

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