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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 · leaves · land · chest · plane · jam · tear · court

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. court — for sport
  5. chest — of your body
  6. court — of law
  7. shower — to wash
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. land — a country
  13. tear — from crying
  14. shower — rain
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. tear — to rip
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. chest — a box
  19. tear — from crying
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. plane — a tool
  22. chest — of your body
  23. court — of a king
  24. leaves — of a tree

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