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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: lie · shower · spring · can · fan · bark · drill · straw

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bark — to shout
  3. drill — the tool
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. lie — to recline
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. drill — a practice
  9. spring — of water
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spring — the season
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. drill — army training
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. can — to be able to
  21. shower — rain
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. can — a tin

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