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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. land — to come down
  3. bank — for money
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. can — to be able to
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. shower — rain
  8. bank — of a river
  9. saw — the tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. hand — help
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. can — a tin
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bank — for money
  17. land — a country
  18. shower — to wash
  19. saw — the tool
  20. can — a tin
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. land — ground

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