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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · cabinet · season · mine · ruler · shower · snap · present

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. present — a gift
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. can — to be able to
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. present — there
  11. mine — for digging
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. shower — rain
  19. can — a tin
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. can — a tin
  23. present — the time now
  24. cabinet — ministers

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