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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bark · shower · game · ground · pound · staff · fall · safe

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. ground — crushed
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fall — the season
  8. game — a match
  9. shower — rain
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. staff — employees
  12. shower — to wash
  13. ground — a position
  14. staff — employees
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pound — a weight
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bark — to shout
  24. safe — a strongbox

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