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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 120 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: temple · stand · row · snap · rush · kid · shower · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kid — child
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. row — a line
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. shower — rain
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. stand — to bear
  21. kid — to tease
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stand — on your feet

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