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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: lash · land · rest · shower · stem · pop · mug · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. fine — all right
  2. land — a country
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. rest — a break
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. mug — a cup
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pop — to visit
  13. land — to come down
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pop — soda
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pop — music
  19. shower — to wash
  20. rest — what's left
  21. shower — rain
  22. land — ground
  23. stem — to come from
  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