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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · pit · last · land · fall · rock · coach · shower

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. last — finally
  3. land — to come down
  4. shower — rain
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fall — to drop
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rock — music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. last — to go on
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. land — a country
  13. last — final
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pit — a hole
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. fall — the season
  22. bark — to shout
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. land — ground

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