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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 124 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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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: wind · object · ground · shower · cabinet · firm · drill · kid

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. firm — decided
  3. ground — crushed
  4. kid — to tease
  5. object — to protest
  6. drill — the tool
  7. object — an aim
  8. shower — to wash
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — a company
  11. kid — child
  12. object — a thing
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. ground — a position
  20. shower — rain
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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