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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: shower · branch · rash · rush · pass · track · straw · ground

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. shower — rain
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rash — hasty
  10. ground — a position
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. track — a path
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rush — hurry
  17. branch — a division
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rash — a series
  21. track — to keep track
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rush — a thrill

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