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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: stem · bat · staff · saw · sharp · pound · shower · lash

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pound — a weight
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. staff — a stick
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. staff — employees
  10. shower — to wash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. shower — rain
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. staff — employees
  17. bat — the animal
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. saw — the tool

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