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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: shower · dip · band · suit · bulb · wound · hand · kick

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. suit — in cards
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. shower — rain
  7. wound — an injury
  8. suit — clothes
  9. band — a ring
  10. hand — help
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. band — a music group
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bulb — for light
  21. kick — in football
  22. bulb — for light
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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