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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 · coach · snap · craft · can · wave · shower · roll

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. snap — to click
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. roll — a list
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. shower — to wash
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. roll — a cake
  18. craft — a skill
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. shower — rain
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. craft — boats
  24. can — to be able to

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