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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: tear · date · board · shower · drill · land · bulb · bowl

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. land — to come down
  3. board — a committee
  4. land — ground
  5. shower — rain
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. date — the fruit
  8. drill — army training
  9. land — a country
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. drill — the tool
  12. shower — to wash
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bulb — for light
  15. board — to get on
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tear — from crying

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