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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: season · race · bulb · rash · track · shower · band · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. rash — a series
  6. season — of the year
  7. shower — rain
  8. drill — a practice
  9. race — humankind
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. race — a contest
  12. rash — hasty
  13. drill — army training
  14. season — in sport
  15. track — a song
  16. band — a ring
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. band — a music group
  22. race — the arms race
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bulb — of a plant

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