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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · press · craft · fall · ball · shower · patient · lash

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rash — a series
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rash — hasty
  6. press — to push
  7. craft — boats
  8. press — a publisher
  9. shower — to wash
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. press — newspapers
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. craft — a skill
  19. fall — the season
  20. ball — a great time
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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