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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: spring · rash · kick · craft · wind · track · shower · rest

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. craft — boats
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rest — what's left
  5. shower — to wash
  6. track — a path
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rest — a break
  10. rash — a series
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. track — to keep track
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spring — of water
  21. shower — rain
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spring — the season
  24. track — a song

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