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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.

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: rock · bear · field · mark · kick · leaves · land · shower

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. kick — in football
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. land — to come down
  7. shower — rain
  8. mark — a grade
  9. rock — a stone
  10. mark — a trace
  11. field — for sport
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. field — a subject
  14. rock — music
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. land — a country
  17. field — farmland
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. shower — to wash
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. land — ground
  24. bear — the animal

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