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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: shower · plane · dip · saw · kick · leaves · scale · date

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. saw — the tool
  7. shower — rain
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. saw — the tool
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. scale — size or range
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. shower — to wash
  14. dip — to sink
  15. scale — in music
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. date — the fruit
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. kick — in football
  24. dip — to dunk

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