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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 120 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: spring · mate · rash · leaves · stand · mouse · land · shower

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. mate — a partner
  5. land — ground
  6. mate — to breed
  7. shower — to wash
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. stand — to bear
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. mate — a friend
  18. spring — of water
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. shower — rain
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stand — for spectators

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