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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: net · lash · key · bear · fan · mug · shower · present

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. net — after costs
  2. key — in music
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. present — the time now
  5. net — in sport
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mug — a cup
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mug — to rob
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. present — there
  13. net — for catching
  14. bear — the animal
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mug — a face
  20. key — the most important part
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. present — a gift
  23. key — for a lock
  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