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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 120 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: nail · drill · bowl · spell · shower · land · current · present

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. spell — magic
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. present — a gift
  5. shower — to wash
  6. land — to come down
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. current — of water
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. present — there
  14. current — happening now
  15. spell — a short time
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. current — electric
  18. shower — rain
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. spell — letters
  22. drill — army training
  23. land — ground
  24. present — the time now

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