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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 120 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: dip · club · lash · land · shower · game · rest · plane

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. plane — a tool
  3. rest — what's left
  4. land — ground
  5. shower — to wash
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. game — a match
  16. rest — what's left
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rest — a break
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. club — a group
  21. land — a country
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. land — to come down
  24. club — for dancing

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