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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 116 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: mate · firm · band · hide · lash · snap · shower · wax

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. shower — to wash
  4. band — a ring
  5. mate — to breed
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. snap — to click
  10. firm — steady
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wax — to grow
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. firm — decided
  15. band — a music group
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. firm — a company
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. shower — rain
  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