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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: foot · deal · pass · cabinet · mate · shower · wound · lash

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mate — to breed
  7. deal — to handle
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. mate — a friend
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. shower — rain
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — a measure
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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