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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 · last · fork · row · saw · foot · tube · leaves

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. fork — in a road
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. shower — rain
  11. row — a line
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. last — finally
  14. saw — the tool
  15. last — to go on
  16. tube — a container
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. shower — to wash
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. last — final
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. tube — the underground
  23. row — to paddle
  24. leaves — lets stay

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