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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: club · lash · perch · bowl · kid · rush · saw · hide

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. club — for dancing
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. saw — the tool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. perch — the fish
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. club — for golf
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kid — child
  22. club — a group
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bowl — a football final

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