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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 120 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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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: root · straw · lash · bore · can · wind · shower · race

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. race — a contest
  3. bore — to drill
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. root — of a plant
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. root — the cause
  14. shower — to wash
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bore — to tire
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. can — a tin
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. shower — rain
  21. root — of a word
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. race — humankind
  24. can — a tin

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