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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.

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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: rash · rule · shower · present · mine · coach · plane · last

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. shower — to wash
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. last — final
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rash — a series
  9. present — the time now
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. rule — a law
  13. present — a gift
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. last — finally
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rule — government
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. present — there
  22. last — to go on
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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