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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: bulb · wound · drill · foot · rash · shower · racket · saw

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. drill — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. foot — a measure
  8. rash — hasty
  9. shower — to wash
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rash — a series
  13. saw — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bulb — for light
  21. shower — rain
  22. wound — an injury
  23. drill — army training
  24. bulb — of a plant

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