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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: drill · stock · bark · kid · shower · leaves · root · ball

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. root — of a plant
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. shower — rain
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. ball — a great time
  10. root — of a word
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. stock — goods
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. kid — child
  18. stock — shares
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. root — the cause
  21. ball — a dance
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. leaves — to go away

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