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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 · rash · bowl · jam · kid · bark · craft · bore

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. craft — a skill
  4. rash — a series
  5. shower — to wash
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. shower — rain
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bore — to drill
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. craft — boats
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. jam — in traffic

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