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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 116 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: shower · drill · march · fan · scale · track

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. scale — size or range
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. drill — the tool
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. scale — in music
  8. drill — a practice
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. march — the month
  14. drill — army training
  15. track — a song
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fan — a supporter

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