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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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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: mine · sharp · stem · ball · lash · cap · shower · spell

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. spell — a short time
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cap — a lid
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cap — of ice
  11. spell — letters
  12. shower — to wash
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. shower — rain
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. mine — for digging
  19. ball — a great time
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cap — a hat
  24. spell — magic

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