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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: bay · fall · shower · chest · board · rock · fan · last

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. board — to get on
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. board — a committee
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rock — music
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. last — finally
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. last — final
  14. fall — the season
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. chest — a box
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fall — to drop
  21. last — to go on
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rock — a stone
  24. shower — rain

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