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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: nail · shower · plane · date · can · trunk · mark · game

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mark — a grade
  6. game — wild animals
  7. shower — rain
  8. date — the fruit
  9. can — a tin
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. plane — a tool
  12. game — a match
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. shower — to wash
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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