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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 · spell · lash · key · cabinet · object · band · staff

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. staff — employees
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spell — a short time
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. staff — employees
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. band — a music group
  12. spell — letters
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. object — an aim
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. object — a thing
  18. key — for a lock
  19. shower — rain
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. object — to protest
  23. band — a ring
  24. staff — a stick

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