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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.

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: shower · track · drill · bat · trunk · degree · snap · plane

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. plane — a tool
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. track — a path
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. degree — from a university
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. degree — temperature
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bat — the animal
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. shower — to wash
  17. snap — to click
  18. degree — an amount
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. track — a song
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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