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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: wave · saw · rule · plane · fall · staff · shower · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. present — there
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fall — the season
  6. present — the time now
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. plane — a tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. shower — rain
  16. staff — employees
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. rule — government
  19. shower — to wash
  20. staff — a stick
  21. rule — a law
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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