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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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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 · saw · wave · chest · shower · key · content · land

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. chest — of your body
  3. land — a country
  4. content — the amount
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. land — to come down
  7. chest — a box
  8. saw — the tool
  9. key — in music
  10. content — happy
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. saw — the tool
  14. shower — rain
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. key — the most important part
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. chest — of your body
  21. shower — to wash
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. land — ground

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