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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 · plane · saw · kick · staff · rule · perch · drill

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. shower — to wash
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. plane — a tool
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. drill — the tool
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rule — government
  20. perch — the fish
  21. drill — a practice
  22. staff — employees
  23. rule — a law
  24. perch — for a bird

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