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

Word bank: cap · rest · wake · rash · lash · fall

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. fall — the season
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rash — a series
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cap — a hat
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cap — a lid
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rest — a break

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