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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: snap · bank · fork · date · wax · shower · bark · pitcher

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bank — for money
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. shower — rain
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bank — for money
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. date — the fruit
  12. snap — to click
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bank — of a river
  18. shower — to wash
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fork — in a road
  24. date — on the calendar

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