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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: firm · shower · straw · tube · rule · rush · squash · mine

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. tube — a container
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. firm — a company
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. squash — the sport
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. firm — steady
  13. shower — rain
  14. rule — a law
  15. firm — decided
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rush — hurry
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rule — government

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