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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: last · lash · date · can · jam · swing · row · shower

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. can — to be able to
  3. row — to paddle
  4. last — finally
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. swing — to play on
  8. can — a tin
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. shower — to wash
  11. last — to go on
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. swing — music
  14. can — a tin
  15. row — a line
  16. last — final
  17. shower — rain
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. date — the fruit
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lash — to lash out
  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