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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: shower · pit · face · bound · hand · lash · fan · fall

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pit — in a race
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bound — certain
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bound — tied together
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bound — obliged
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. face — part of the head
  24. hand — part of the body

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