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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: race · shower · nail · dip · bulb · lean · mine · deal

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. race — a contest
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. lean — to bend
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. shower — to wash
  9. deal — to handle
  10. shower — rain
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lean — thin
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. race — humankind
  18. bulb — for light
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. nail — for a hammer

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