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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: mug · rule · chest · shower · perch · rash · lash · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rule — a law
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rule — government
  7. shower — rain
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mug — to rob
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. perch — the fish
  12. object — to protest
  13. mug — a cup
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rash — hasty
  18. object — a thing
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mug — a face
  21. chest — a box
  22. rash — a series
  23. perch — for a bird
  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