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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: shower · bass · mine · spell · wave · fork · ruler · cap

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mine — for digging
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. shower — rain
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. spell — letters
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bass — low music
  20. spell — magic
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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