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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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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: squash · pitcher · file · shower · snap · lash · chip · lean

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. file — a document
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chip — to eat
  6. lean — thin
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. file — a line of people
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. lean — to bend
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. file — a tool
  20. chip — for betting
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. shower — rain

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