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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 116 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 · shower · racket · craft · march · staff · bowl · swing

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. swing — in golf
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. staff — employees
  8. craft — a skill
  9. shower — rain
  10. swing — to play on
  11. craft — boats
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. swing — music
  14. shower — to wash
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. march — music
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. staff — employees

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