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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: drill · wake · firm · shower · calf · stick · net · bark

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. firm — a company
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. shower — to wash
  8. firm — decided
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. firm — steady
  11. drill — army training
  12. shower — rain
  13. net — for catching
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. net — after costs
  17. drill — a practice
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. drill — the tool
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bark — to shout
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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