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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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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. hand — help
  4. cold — an illness
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. craft — a skill
  7. hand — in cards
  8. vault — a safe
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. tube — a container
  23. fork — in a road
  24. craft — boats

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