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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: hand · march · saw · pitcher · shower · plane · mouse · key

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. key — the most important part
  3. shower — rain
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. shower — to wash
  14. hand — help
  15. saw — the tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. march — music
  21. plane — a tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. plane — in geometry

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