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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: shower · field · dip · chair · fan · lash · plane · firm

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. firm — decided
  5. shower — to wash
  6. firm — steady
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. chair — a leader
  10. field — farmland
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. dip — to sink
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. firm — a company
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. dip — to dunk
  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