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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 120 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: object · game · shower · arm · spell · nail · craft · cold

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. spell — letters
  3. object — an aim
  4. game — a match
  5. craft — boats
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cold — not warm
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. object — a thing
  13. craft — a skill
  14. object — to protest
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. game — wild animals
  18. shower — rain
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cold — an illness

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