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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 · firm · nail · squash · mine · rest · spring · tube

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mine — for digging
  4. spring — a coil
  5. shower — rain
  6. squash — to crush
  7. tube — a container
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. spring — the season
  10. firm — steady
  11. squash — the sport
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rest — a break
  14. firm — a company
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. rest — what's left
  20. firm — decided
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. spring — of water

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