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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: mine · land · craft · pitcher · ball · bore · shower · racket

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mine — for digging
  12. craft — a skill
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. ball — a dance
  17. craft — boats
  18. bore — to drill
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ball — a great time
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bore — to tire

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