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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: trunk · ball · key · pitcher · shower · land · fall · object

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fall — the season
  3. key — the most important part
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. object — an aim
  6. land — a country
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. key — in music
  10. ball — a dance
  11. shower — rain
  12. key — for a lock
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. land — ground
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. land — to come down
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fall — to drop
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — a thing
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fall — to drop

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