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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 116 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: mug · drill · rest · bulb · race · pop · lash · shower

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mug — a face
  5. rest — what's left
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. shower — rain
  8. pop — music
  9. mug — to rob
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rest — a break
  13. pop — soda
  14. drill — army training
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pop — to visit
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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