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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: lash · spring · shower · last · wake · drill · land · present

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. last — finally
  4. shower — rain
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. drill — army training
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. present — there
  9. spring — the season
  10. present — a gift
  11. spring — of water
  12. land — ground
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. land — a country
  16. drill — a practice
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wake — a trail
  20. drill — the tool
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. land — to come down
  24. present — the time now

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