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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bass · shower · mate · drill · land · bowl · tear · coach

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mate — a friend
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. drill — a practice
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. shower — to wash
  8. tear — from crying
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bass — low music
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. drill — army training
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mate — a partner
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bowl — a dish

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