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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bank — for money
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. band — a ring
  11. tube — a container
  12. shower — to wash
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. plane — a tool
  16. land — to come down
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. shower — rain
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bank — of a river
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. band — a music group
  24. bank — for money

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