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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: spell · lash · sharp · scale · mate · season · drill · shower

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. scale — in music
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mate — a friend
  9. scale — size or range
  10. spell — letters
  11. drill — a practice
  12. season — in sport
  13. mate — to breed
  14. season — of the year
  15. spell — a short time
  16. shower — rain
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mate — a partner
  19. spell — magic
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — the tool
  23. shower — to wash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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