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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. band — a music group
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. shower — rain
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pitch — completely
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chest — a box
  24. band — a ring

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