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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: season · bark · shower · march · cap · vault · wave · row

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. march — music
  11. season — of the year
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. march — the month
  16. season — in sport
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. row — a line
  20. march — the month
  21. cap — of ice
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — a safe

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