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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: ground · trunk · bay · last · lash · kid · band · rush

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. last — finally
  5. kid — child
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. band — a music group
  9. ground — a position
  10. kid — to tease
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rush — hurry
  13. last — final
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. last — to go on
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. band — a ring
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bay — a horse colour

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