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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: rash · present · wave · lean · shower · squash · race · lie

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. squash — to crush
  6. shower — rain
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. present — a gift
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rash — a series
  13. present — there
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. race — humankind
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. present — the time now

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