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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: rest · chair · fine · spring · jam · shower · rush · lie

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. lie — to recline
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. spring — of water
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fine — high quality
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. shower — rain
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. lie — an untruth

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