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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 116 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: trunk · drill · bear · rule · cap · shower · pitcher · fine

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. rule — a law
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cap — of ice
  10. drill — army training
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. cap — a hat
  13. fine — all right
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. shower — rain
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rule — government
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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