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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: plane · wound · shower · mouse · mark · pitcher · cap · season

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. mark — a grade
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — of ice
  5. shower — rain
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cap — a lid
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. season — in sport
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wound — an injury
  24. plane — a tool

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