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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: jam · toast · lash · staff · wind · land · date · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. land — to come down
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. land — ground
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. date — the fruit
  7. staff — employees
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. staff — employees
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. staff — a stick
  15. land — a country
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wind — moving air
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. shower — to wash
  22. toast — bread
  23. wind — moving air
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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