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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 116 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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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: rock · shower · pop · race · mark · prune · wind · stand

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wind — moving air
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. race — a contest
  6. rock — music
  7. race — humankind
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pop — to visit
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mark — a grade
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pop — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mark — a trace

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