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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: fork · mine · mate · rush · pit · bass · shower · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pit — in a race
  14. shower — rain
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mate — to breed

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