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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
468
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 · bear · drill · leaves · shower · pop · temple · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. shower — rain
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pop — music
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pop — soda
  8. bear — the animal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. drill — a practice
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bat — the animal
  13. drill — the tool
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. drill — army training
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pop — to visit
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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