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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.

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: shower · plane · leaves · degree · drill · straw · mine · snap

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. shower — rain
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. drill — the tool
  7. plane — a tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. snap — to click
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. drill — army training
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. drill — a practice
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. shower — to wash
  21. degree — from a university
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mine — for digging
  24. straw — a straw man

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