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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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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: rest · jam · shower · lash · face · hand · pound · hide

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rest — a break
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. face — to confront
  9. shower — to wash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. shower — rain
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. face — part of the head
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pound — a weight
  20. face — to point toward
  21. hand — help
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. rest — what's left
  24. jam — in traffic

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