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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
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: ground · shower · craft · hand · toast · wave · cell · game

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. game — a match
  4. shower — to wash
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. ground — a position
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. game — wild animals
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. ground — crushed
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — bread
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. shower — rain

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