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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: season · leaves · shower · saw · fall · cabinet · content · rash

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. saw — the tool
  3. season — of the year
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rash — a series
  8. content — the amount
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fall — the season
  12. content — happy
  13. shower — rain
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. season — in sport
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cabinet — ministers

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