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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: wound · safe · bat · lash · fall · shower · stock · toast

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. shower — rain
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. toast — bread
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stock — goods
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. fall — the season
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. shower — to wash
  22. stock — shares
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. safe — out of danger

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