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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: land · club · shower · coach · fork · mate

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. land — a country
  3. club — for dancing
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. club — for golf
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. land — ground
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fork — in a road
  11. land — to come down
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mate — a partner
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. shower — rain
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mate — a friend
  18. club — a group

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