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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: plane · wound · shower · spring · date · mug · rush · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spring — of water
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. wound — an injury
  5. shower — rain
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rush — hurry
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. date — the fruit
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spring — the season
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mug — a face
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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