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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · shower · snap · band · stick · pop · land · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. land — to come down
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. shower — to wash
  6. race — humankind
  7. pop — music
  8. shower — rain
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. land — a country
  12. snap — to click
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. lie — to recline
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. land — ground
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. race — a contest

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