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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: club · lash · stock · rest · lean · chair · spell · shower

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stock — shares
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. club — for dancing
  5. spell — letters
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. club — for golf
  9. spell — magic
  10. club — a group
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lean — thin
  16. stock — goods
  17. lean — to bend
  18. rest — a break
  19. chair — a leader
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spell — a short time
  24. shower — to wash

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