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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: shower · cap · spell · rash · object · pit · branch · bass

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. object — to protest
  3. spell — letters
  4. bass — low music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pit — in a race
  7. cap — a lid
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cap — a hat
  10. spell — magic
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rash — hasty
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rash — a series
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. branch — a division
  21. object — an aim
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. object — a thing

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