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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: lash · spring · shower · file · chip · arm · cue · temple

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. chip — to eat
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. file — a tool
  5. spring — of water
  6. file — a line of people
  7. shower — to wash
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cue — a signal
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. chip — for betting
  15. shower — rain
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. file — a document
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. spring — a coil
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. spring — the season
  23. cue — for pool
  24. lash — an eyelash

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