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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 · toast · mate · suit · mine · rush · jam · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. suit — clothes
  5. mate — to breed
  6. shower — to wash
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mate — a friend
  10. shower — rain
  11. suit — to fit
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rush — hurry
  16. suit — in cards
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. toast — bread
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. toast — the most admired

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