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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: land · lash · wound · bowl · lie · swing · band · shower

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. land — a country
  9. wound — an injury
  10. shower — to wash
  11. swing — to play on
  12. shower — rain
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. swing — music
  19. land — ground
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. band — a music group
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. land — to come down
  24. band — a ring

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