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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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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: stick · spell · lash · wound · shower · key

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. wound — an injury
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. shower — rain
  7. spell — magic
  8. shower — to wash
  9. key — for a lock
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. spell — letters
  16. key — in music
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wound — an injury

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