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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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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: bear · stand · shower · band · drill · deal · leaves · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bear — the animal
  4. band — a music group
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stand — to bear
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. drill — a practice
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. band — a ring
  16. drill — army training
  17. deal — to handle
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. shower — rain
  24. leaves — to go away

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