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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: temple · tube · fork · lash · fall · lie · season · shower

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. fall — the season
  6. tube — a container
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. tube — the underground
  11. shower — to wash
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. shower — rain
  24. lie — to recline

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