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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: bowl · rest · shower · racket · cap · wave

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cap — of ice
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cap — a lid
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rest — a break
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rest — what's left
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bowl — a football final

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