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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: band · bowl · hand · roll · pop · shower · cue · bark

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. shower — to wash
  6. band — a ring
  7. hand — help
  8. roll — a list
  9. pop — soda
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cue — for pool
  15. band — a music group
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cue — a signal
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pop — to visit
  22. roll — a cake
  23. pop — music
  24. bark — to shout

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