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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: drill · mine · shower · object · board · calf · fine · bowl

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fine — high quality
  6. board — to get on
  7. fine — all right
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. object — to protest
  10. drill — the tool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. object — an aim
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. shower — rain
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. shower — to wash
  23. object — a thing
  24. bowl — a football final

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