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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 · wind · racket · rock · row · bulb · rash · jam

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rash — a series
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rock — music
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. rash — hasty
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bulb — for light
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. rock — a stone
  15. shower — rain
  16. wind — moving air
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. row — a line

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