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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: shower · firm · spell · lash · bark · track · pound · board

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. firm — steady
  5. track — a song
  6. firm — a company
  7. spell — magic
  8. shower — rain
  9. track — a path
  10. shower — to wash
  11. board — to get on
  12. firm — decided
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bark — to shout
  16. board — a committee
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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