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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mouse · rash · swing · chair · current · lash · wave · hide

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. current — of water
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. current — happening now
  8. swing — music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. swing — to play on
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rash — a series
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. current — electric
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — a leader

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