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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 120 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: stem · plane · rash · lean · net · shower · swing · lash

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. shower — to wash
  3. swing — to play on
  4. plane — a tool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rash — hasty
  8. shower — rain
  9. net — in sport
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. swing — music
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. rash — a series
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. net — for catching
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. lean — thin
  24. plane — an aircraft

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