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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: shower · straw · saw · object · pass · wake

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. object — to protest
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wake — a trail
  6. shower — to wash
  7. object — an aim
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. shower — rain
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. object — a thing
  18. saw — past of 'see'

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