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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 120 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: shower · mark · lie · nail · racket · lash · fork · present

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mark — a trace
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. present — there
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. present — the time now
  16. shower — rain
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. shower — to wash
  23. present — a gift
  24. racket — a loud noise

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