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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: present · key · staff · shower · clip · rash · fall · pound

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fall — to drop
  5. staff — employees
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rash — a series
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. staff — employees
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. clip — a video
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. shower — rain
  19. present — a gift
  20. rash — hasty
  21. shower — to wash
  22. clip — to cut
  23. staff — a stick
  24. clip — for paper

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