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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 · fine · can · ball · spring · lash · wave · rash

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. swing — to play on
  4. rash — hasty
  5. ball — a dance
  6. spring — the season
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. can — a tin
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rash — a series
  15. fine — all right
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. can — a tin
  22. swing — music
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. fine — high quality

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