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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 120 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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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: pit · lash · bowl · wave · shower · wound · lie · club

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pit — in a race
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pit — a hole
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lie — to recline
  12. club — a group
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. club — for golf
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wound — an injury
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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