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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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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. rash — hasty
  4. shower — to wash
  5. can — a tin
  6. band — a music group
  7. can — to be able to
  8. rash — a series
  9. can — a tin
  10. band — a ring
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. roll — a cake
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. saw — the tool
  21. shower — rain
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. roll — a list

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