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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: face · row · lash · shower · squash · fall · bore · pass

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. squash — the sport
  10. face — to point toward
  11. row — a line
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bore — to drill
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. shower — rain
  16. face — to confront
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bore — to tire
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. fall — the season

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