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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: pop · band · bay · rash · content · leaves · sharp · shower

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. content — the amount
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pop — to visit
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. content — happy
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. sharp — clever
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pop — music
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pop — soda
  21. rash — a series
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. band — a ring
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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