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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: ball · nail · stand · shower · object · rash · bark · mark

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rash — a series
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. object — a thing
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stand — to bear
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. object — an aim
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bark — to shout
  22. object — to protest
  23. shower — rain
  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