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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 116 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: bat · season · band · mark · wake · pound · rule · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. band — a ring
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rule — government
  5. season — of the year
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pound — a weight
  11. mark — a trace
  12. band — a music group
  13. season — in sport
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. rule — a law

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