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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 116 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 · bear · field · bore · pass · land · fan · row

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. field — for sport
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. land — to come down
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bear — the animal
  9. row — to paddle
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. row — a line
  12. shower — to wash
  13. field — a subject
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. shower — rain
  16. bear — the animal
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. pass — a permit
  21. land — ground
  22. bore — to drill
  23. field — farmland
  24. pass — to succeed

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