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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: spell · stem · chip · lash · face · toast · patient · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. spell — a short time
  3. toast — bread
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. chip — for betting
  8. shower — rain
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. chip — to eat
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. spell — letters
  19. face — to confront
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spell — magic
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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