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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · hide · shower · lean · mark · fan · prune · pound

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. shower — rain
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lean — thin
  21. mark — a trace
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. hide — to keep secret

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