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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: pitcher · spring · bass · object · bowl · shower · deal · game

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. game — a match
  7. object — a thing
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. deal — to handle
  14. game — wild animals
  15. shower — rain
  16. object — an aim
  17. spring — a coil
  18. object — to protest
  19. bass — the fish
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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