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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: rush · wave · ground · shower · stick · object · saw · drill

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. drill — army training
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. object — an aim
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. shower — to wash
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. shower — rain
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — a thing
  18. rush — hurry
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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