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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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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: field · bowl · wind · saw · stick · shower · pop · ruler

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. pop — music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pop — soda
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — farmland
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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