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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 · jam · date · perch · leaves · spring · season · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. date — the fruit
  3. shower — rain
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. shower — to wash
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. spring — a coil
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bark — to shout
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. spring — the season
  21. perch — the fish
  22. spring — of water
  23. season — of the year
  24. jam — a tight spot

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