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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: band · hand · kick · shower · wave · dip · rash · fine

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. rash — hasty
  3. band — a music group
  4. rash — a series
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fine — all right
  7. hand — help
  8. band — a ring
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. shower — rain
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. shower — to wash
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. dip — to sink
  20. hand — in cards
  21. kick — in football
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. rash — on the skin

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