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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 120 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: ground · fall · wave · spring · fork · nail · leaves · shower

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. fall — to drop
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. spring — the season
  9. fork — in a road
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fall — the season
  14. shower — rain
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. ground — a position

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