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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: shower · suit · degree · roll · drill · wave · ball · rush

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. roll — a list
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. degree — an amount
  5. shower — rain
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. shower — to wash
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. suit — clothes
  12. ball — a dance
  13. degree — temperature
  14. drill — army training
  15. ball — a great time
  16. drill — a practice
  17. degree — from a university
  18. suit — in cards
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. suit — to fit

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