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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 116 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: wind · fork · kick · content · shower · lash · plane · deal

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. kick — in football
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. plane — a tool
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. shower — rain
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. shower — to wash
  21. content — the amount
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. content — happy
  24. wind — moving air

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