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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: bass · bore · lie · lash · saw · fan · file · shower

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. file — a tool
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bass — the fish
  15. saw — the tool
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. file — a document
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bass — low music
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. file — a line of people

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