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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: mine · shower · stick · row · drill · club · craft · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. drill — army training
  5. shower — rain
  6. drill — the tool
  7. craft — boats
  8. club — a group
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. club — for dancing
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. row — to paddle
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. drill — a practice
  17. track — a song
  18. craft — a skill
  19. club — for golf
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mine — for digging
  23. track — a path
  24. row — a line

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