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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 · saw · toast · mug · march · bass · pitcher · mine

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. shower — rain
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mine — for digging
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. mug — a cup
  11. toast — bread
  12. mug — a face
  13. saw — the tool
  14. march — the month
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. march — music
  19. mug — to rob
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. march — the month
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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