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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · coach · last · shower · spring · vault · bowl · drill

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. row — a line
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. spring — of water
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. last — final
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. last — to go on
  13. spring — a coil
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. drill — the tool
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. drill — army training
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. drill — a practice
  20. shower — rain
  21. row — to paddle
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. last — finally
  24. shower — to wash

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