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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: shower · rash · season · march · vault · stem · nail · band

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stem — to come from
  3. band — a music group
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. shower — rain
  8. march — the month
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rash — hasty
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. band — a ring
  15. season — of the year
  16. vault — a safe
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. shower — to wash
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rash — a series

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