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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: land · mug · lash · shower · kick · fall · wind · chip

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wind — moving air
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mug — a cup
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. land — ground
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. shower — rain
  12. kick — in football
  13. chip — for betting
  14. land — to come down
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mug — a face
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. shower — to wash
  22. fall — the season
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. fall — to drop

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