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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: saw · cabinet · lash · club · fork · kick · plane · shower

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. plane — a tool
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. kick — in football
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. shower — rain
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. club — for golf
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. saw — the tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. club — a group
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. fork — in a road
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. saw — the tool
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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