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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: straw · object · pound · game · season · fan · plane · shower

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. shower — to wash
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. object — to protest
  7. game — a match
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — a weight
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. season — of the year
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. object — an aim
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. shower — rain
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. game — wild animals
  21. season — in sport
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. object — a thing

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