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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: rush · face · net · lash · content · race · wave · roll

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. race — humankind
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. net — for catching
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. roll — a list
  9. face — part of the head
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. face — to confront
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. net — in sport
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. face — to point toward
  18. net — after costs
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. race — a contest
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a cake
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lash — an eyelash

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