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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: lash · jam · perch · shower · spring · mark · last · pop

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. spring — of water
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pop — to visit
  8. spring — a coil
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. pop — soda
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mark — a grade
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. last — finally
  16. perch — the fish
  17. last — final
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. shower — rain
  20. pop — music
  21. mark — a trace
  22. spring — the season
  23. last — to go on
  24. lash — to lash out

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