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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · chair · last · squash · pop · hand · lash · bulb

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pop — to visit
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. rash — a series
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rash — hasty
  10. hand — in cards
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. pop — music
  16. last — to go on
  17. bulb — for light
  18. last — finally
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. last — final
  22. pop — soda
  23. chair — a leader
  24. squash — to crush

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