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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: rest · spring · band · bulb · squash · last · shower · row

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rest — what's left
  3. squash — to crush
  4. band — a ring
  5. shower — to wash
  6. band — a music group
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spring — the season
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rest — a break
  12. row — a line
  13. spring — of water
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bulb — for light
  16. last — to go on
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. spring — a coil
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bulb — for light
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. rest — what's left

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