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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wind · mark · hide · hand · shower · rash · mine · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. track — a path
  2. mark — a grade
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. hand — in cards
  6. track — a song
  7. hand — help
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mark — a trace
  11. shower — rain
  12. rash — a series
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rash — hasty
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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