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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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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: kick · cold · rush · bay · pit · stand · spring · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. spring — of water
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. shower — to wash

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