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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: bowl · pitcher · shower · mine · leaves · land · bore · fan

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. land — to come down
  18. shower — rain
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bowl — a dish

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