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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · last · band · chair · shower · lash · leaves · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. saw — the tool
  18. band — a ring
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. band — a music group
  21. last — finally
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bat — the animal

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