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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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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: bulb · row · lash · wind · rock · last · hand · chest

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. chest — a box
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rock — music
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. last — final
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. last — finally
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. hand — help

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