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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: wound · fan · rule · lean · shower · coach · lash · safe

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rule — a law
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rule — government
  18. lean — thin
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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