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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: bound · fall · coach · mouse · shower · game · plane · squash

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bound — certain
  6. squash — to crush
  7. game — a match
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. plane — a tool
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fall — the season
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fall — to drop
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bound — obliged
  20. shower — rain
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fall — to drop

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