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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: lash · shower · spell · season · hide · staff · cold · mark

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mark — a trace
  3. staff — employees
  4. mark — a grade
  5. shower — rain
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cold — an illness
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. season — in sport
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. staff — employees
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. season — of the year
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. staff — a stick

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