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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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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: drill · wave · wound · shower · race · jam · toast · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. track — a song
  4. drill — the tool
  5. shower — to wash
  6. drill — a practice
  7. shower — rain
  8. wound — an injury
  9. drill — army training
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wound — an injury
  12. race — a contest
  13. toast — bread
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. race — humankind
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. track — to keep track

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