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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: toast · drill · bank · date · shower · saw · net · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. shower — rain
  3. bank — of a river
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. net — for catching
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bank — for money
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. net — after costs
  12. bank — for money
  13. shower — to wash
  14. can — a tin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. toast — bread
  18. drill — the tool
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. can — a tin
  21. saw — the tool
  22. net — in sport
  23. drill — army training
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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