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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · roll · date · nail · lash · shower · trunk · fan

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. roll — a cake
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. roll — a list
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. date — the fruit
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. nail — on a finger

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