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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: land · tube · drill · fine · shower · deal · rock · wave

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. fine — high quality
  6. tube — the underground
  7. drill — army training
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. tube — a container
  10. land — ground
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. shower — rain
  13. drill — a practice
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. land — a country
  16. fine — all right
  17. land — to come down
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. drill — the tool

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