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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 · net · key · plane · last · fall

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. fall — to drop
  3. shower — to wash
  4. net — for catching
  5. fall — to drop
  6. net — after costs
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. shower — rain
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. key — the most important part
  12. fall — the season
  13. net — in sport
  14. key — in music
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. key — for a lock
  18. last — finally

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