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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 116 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: saw · cell · stick · march · rash · shower · fork · racket

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. march — the month
  3. shower — rain
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cell — in biology
  12. march — the month
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. march — music
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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