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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: mine · shower · staff · fork · face · ball · bowl · rash

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. face — to confront
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mine — for digging
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. face — to point toward
  7. shower — to wash
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. staff — employees
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rash — a series
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. ball — a dance
  23. staff — employees
  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