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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: rule · spell · prune · wake · fall · shower · cabinet · bowl

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rule — a law
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fall — the season
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. shower — rain
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rule — government
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spell — magic
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. spell — letters
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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