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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 · rest · hand · ground · wind · fan · shower · stem

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. ground — crushed
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wind — moving air
  9. hand — help
  10. rest — a break
  11. rash — a series
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. ground — a position
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. shower — rain
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rash — hasty

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