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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: plane · shower · wind · deal · cell · bear

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wind — moving air
  3. plane — a tool
  4. cell — in biology
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — to handle
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cell — a phone
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bear — the animal
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. shower — rain

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