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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 · pitcher · leaves · craft · wake · bore · object · land

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. shower — rain
  5. wake — a trail
  6. land — ground
  7. craft — a skill
  8. object — a thing
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. land — to come down
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. land — a country
  19. bore — to drill
  20. craft — boats
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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