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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: stand · nail · rush · swing · shower · bear · board · land

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. land — ground
  4. stand — to bear
  5. shower — to wash
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. board — to get on
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rush — hurry
  17. shower — rain
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. swing — music
  22. board — a committee
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. swing — to play on

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