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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: shower · racket · bat · wave · drill · wake · season · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. shower — rain
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wake — a trail
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. season — of the year
  21. drill — the tool
  22. season — in sport
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. racket — a loud noise

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