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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: spring · spell · arm · rock · pop · bay · shower · rash

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pop — soda
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. shower — to wash
  6. spring — the season
  7. rock — a stone
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spell — letters
  10. pop — music
  11. spring — of water
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. shower — rain
  16. spell — magic
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rash — a series
  19. rock — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. spring — a coil
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. arm — part of the body

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