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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: fan · shower · net · leaves · chest · date · pit · bark

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. net — for catching
  4. chest — a box
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. chest — of your body
  15. shower — to wash
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pit — in a race
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. shower — rain
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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