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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: rush · shower · row · mate · suit · cell · wound · swing

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mate — a partner
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. swing — to play on
  8. suit — in cards
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. row — a line
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cell — in biology
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mate — a friend
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rush — hurry
  20. suit — clothes
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mate — to breed
  23. swing — music
  24. suit — to fit

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