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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 116 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bank — for money
  3. plane — a tool
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. present — there
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bank — for money
  11. swing — music
  12. bank — of a river
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. shower — rain
  18. swing — to play on
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. present — a gift
  21. swing — in golf
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wake — a trail

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