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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: swing · temple · lash · mine · shower · drill · bowl · tube

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. shower — rain
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. shower — to wash
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. tube — the underground
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. swing — music
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. drill — the tool
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. tube — a container
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. drill — army training
  24. swing — to play on

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