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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · shower · wave · tube · pitch · ruler · arm · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. shower — rain
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cold — an illness
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. tube — a container
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. rush — hurry

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