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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rash — a series
  12. roll — a cake
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bass — the fish
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rush — hurry
  17. branch — a division
  18. bass — low music
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. shower — rain
  24. rush — to hurry

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