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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: shower · clip · nail · mark · rush · squash · fan · arm

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. shower — rain
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mark — a grade
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. squash — to crush
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. mark — a trace
  24. fan — a supporter

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