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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
468
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: rest · march · hide · shower · swing · mark · rash · leaves

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rash — a series
  7. shower — rain
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rest — a break
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mark — a trace
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rest — what's left
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. march — the month
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rash — hasty

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