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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: bay · stand · racket · nail · cold · ground · rock · shower

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. stand — to bear
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ground — a position
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cold — an illness
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. cold — not warm
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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