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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 · ground · fan · cabinet · land · bat · deal · shower

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. land — to come down
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. land — a country
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. shower — rain
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. land — ground
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. ground — a position
  19. shower — to wash
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cabinet — ministers

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