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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: nail · shower · fan · ruler · rash · roll · band · pitch

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. band — a ring
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. band — a music group
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pitch — completely
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rash — a series
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. shower — rain
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. shower — to wash

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