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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 116 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: wind · cap · shower · racket · chip · bulb · straw · rush

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wind — moving air
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. shower — to wash
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cap — a hat
  9. shower — rain
  10. cap — of ice
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bulb — for light
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rush — hurry

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