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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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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: fan · rash · shower · straw · object · mug · rest · tube

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rest — what's left
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. object — an aim
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. object — to protest
  9. mug — to rob
  10. object — a thing
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mug — a cup
  17. tube — a container
  18. mug — a face
  19. tube — the underground
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rest — a break
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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