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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: straw · bark · spring · rush · shower · rule · leaves · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. spring — a coil
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. spring — the season
  6. shower — rain
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rule — government
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rule — a law
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. spring — of water
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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