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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: rash · nail · shower · rush · straw · pitcher · club · lean

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rash — hasty
  3. lean — to bend
  4. rash — a series
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rush — hurry
  7. shower — rain
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. club — for golf
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. club — a group
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. club — for dancing

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