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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: dip · lash · shower · hand · last · plane · spell · ball

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. ball — a dance
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. spell — magic
  9. ball — a great time
  10. plane — a tool
  11. dip — to sink
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. shower — rain
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. hand — in cards
  18. shower — to wash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. spell — a short time
  21. hand — help
  22. last — finally
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. plane — in geometry

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