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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: cabinet · cue · foot · pit · shower · bulb · drill · bark

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cue — a signal
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bulb — for light
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. pit — a hole
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cue — for pool
  17. drill — army training
  18. cue — a hint
  19. shower — rain
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bark — to shout
  24. drill — a practice

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