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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
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: shower · saw · temple · field · cabinet · fork · object · mate

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — a subject
  3. object — to protest
  4. mate — to breed
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — a thing
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. fork — in a road
  12. field — for sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mate — a friend
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. field — farmland
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. mate — a partner

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