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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: chest · lash · drill · rash · bank · object · wind · chair

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. drill — a practice
  3. chest — a box
  4. object — a thing
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. chest — of your body
  7. object — to protest
  8. chair — a leader
  9. drill — army training
  10. rash — a series
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bank — for money
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rash — hasty
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. object — an aim
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bank — for money
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rash — on the skin

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