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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: swing · pitcher · coach · rash · mate · lash · hand · bulb

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mate — to breed
  4. hand — help
  5. swing — in golf
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. swing — to play on
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bulb — for light
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mate — a friend
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. rash — a series
  20. swing — music
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bulb — for light
  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