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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 120 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: wake · bark · mouse · spring · shower · race · kid · rush

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. shower — rain
  3. race — a contest
  4. bark — to shout
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. race — humankind
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. spring — of water
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. spring — the season

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