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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: wind · rash · shower · row · firm · pit · wound · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. row — to paddle
  3. wind — moving air
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rash — a series
  9. shower — to wash
  10. row — a line
  11. firm — steady
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. shower — rain
  14. pit — a hole
  15. firm — a company
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cap — a hat
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rash — hasty
  24. firm — decided

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