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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.

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: lash · tear · mouse · march · shower · sharp · mate · bulb

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mate — to breed
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bulb — for light
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bulb — for light
  9. shower — rain
  10. mate — a friend
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. march — the month
  19. shower — to wash
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. sharp — clever

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