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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 120 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: cap · fork · rash · pop · current · hand · lash · last

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. current — happening now
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. pop — music
  6. last — finally
  7. cap — a hat
  8. current — electric
  9. pop — soda
  10. last — final
  11. rash — a series
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. last — to go on
  15. cap — a lid
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pop — to visit
  19. hand — help
  20. fork — in a road
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. current — of water

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