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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: hand · shower · mouse · spell · rest · club · rock · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. spell — magic
  4. rest — what's left
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rest — a break
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rest — what's left
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — music
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for golf
  19. shower — rain
  20. hand — help
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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