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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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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 · hand · lash · leaves · wake · last · court · fan

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. court — of a king
  5. last — to go on
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. shower — rain
  10. court — for sport
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wake — a trail
  17. last — finally
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. last — final
  21. court — of law
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. leaves — to go away

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