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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 120 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: rash · wind · rush · drill · pop · wound · club · hide

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. club — for dancing
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wind — moving air
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. club — for golf
  12. rash — hasty
  13. club — a group
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. drill — army training
  20. rash — a series
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rush — to hurry

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