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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.

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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: shower · date · bowl · content · roll · rush · leaves · snap

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. content — the amount
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. roll — a list
  6. snap — to click
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. shower — rain
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. shower — to wash
  13. content — happy
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. roll — a cake
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. date — on the calendar

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