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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 120 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: season · shower · snap · tube · fine · mate · ground · rush

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. season — in sport
  3. mate — to breed
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fine — high quality
  7. season — of the year
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — hurry
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. ground — a position
  15. tube — the underground
  16. snap — to click
  17. tube — a container
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. rush — a thrill

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