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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lash · fan · shower · net · band · hide · pound · saw

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. band — a rubber band
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. band — a ring
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. band — a music group
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. shower — to wash
  10. net — for catching
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pound — a weight
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  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