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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: drill · deal · shower · field · stick · plane · sharp · pound

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pound — a weight
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. field — farmland
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. deal — to handle
  12. shower — to wash
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. shower — rain
  20. field — for sport
  21. drill — army training
  22. field — a subject
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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