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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: hand · rock · rash · bay · shower · swing · wind · drill

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rock — music
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wind — moving air
  6. swing — music
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wind — moving air
  11. swing — to play on
  12. drill — army training
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. shower — to wash
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. rock — a stone
  23. hand — help
  24. drill — a practice

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