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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 · suit · hand · race · bulb · nail · pound · wave

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. hand — help
  3. race — humankind
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. suit — in cards
  7. race — a contest
  8. hand — in cards
  9. suit — clothes
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. race — the arms race
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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