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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: can · bound · lash · rest · mouse · shower · fan · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. bound — obliged
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bound — certain
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bound — tied together
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. can — a tin
  12. rest — what's left
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. can — a tin
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. shower — rain
  21. rest — a break
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. fan — a supporter

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