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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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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: nail · shower · wound · straw · rule · fall · race · bulb

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. race — a contest
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. race — humankind
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wound — an injury
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rule — a law
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rule — government
  12. shower — rain
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fall — to drop

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