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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: land · leaves · plane · file · rush · object · shower · game

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. object — a thing
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. file — a tool
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. object — an aim
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. land — to come down
  12. file — a line of people
  13. game — wild animals
  14. file — a document
  15. object — to protest
  16. land — ground
  17. game — a match
  18. shower — to wash
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. plane — a tool
  22. rush — hurry
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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