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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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: saw · shower · kick · fan · rash · lash · mug · snap

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mug — a face
  5. snap — to click
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mug — to rob
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. kick — in football
  14. mug — a cup
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. shower — to wash
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. shower — rain
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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