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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 · spring · bowl · mate · roll · ruler · deal · date

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mate — a partner
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. spring — a coil
  9. roll — a list
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. deal — to handle
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mate — a friend
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. spring — the season
  18. roll — a cake
  19. spring — of water
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mate — to breed
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. shower — rain
  24. ruler — for measuring

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