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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 · fall · saw · sharp · bark · lash · season · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — to rob
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mug — a cup
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bark — to shout
  11. shower — rain
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. season — in sport
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fall — to drop
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fall — the season
  23. shower — to wash
  24. season — of the year

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