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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 · leaves · ground · cabinet · plane · pitcher · temple · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. temple — side of the head
  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