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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: staff · wake · pitch · shower · drill · coach · lash · lean

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. shower — rain
  4. staff — employees
  5. drill — army training
  6. staff — a stick
  7. drill — the tool
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wake — a trail
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lean — thin
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pitch — completely
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. lean — to bend
  24. staff — employees

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