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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: land · lash · tube · mine · shower · rash · rush · bore

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. tube — the underground
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rush — hurry
  8. tube — a container
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. land — ground
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. bore — to tire
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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