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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: march · lash · snap · chair · rush · cabinet · wave · lean

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. march — music
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. chair — a leader
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lean — thin
  16. snap — to click
  17. march — the month
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rush — hurry
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. march — the month

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