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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 · mine · face · firm · rock · drill · kid · board

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rock — a stone
  4. drill — a practice
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. board — to get on
  7. kid — child
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. drill — the tool
  10. kid — to tease
  11. board — a committee
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. drill — army training
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — a company
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rock — music
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. firm — decided

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