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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · snap · toast · coach · fan · land · drill · content

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. drill — a practice
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. content — happy
  9. land — a country
  10. toast — bread
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. snap — to click
  13. land — ground
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. drill — army training
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. shower — to wash
  19. drill — the tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. content — the amount
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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