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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: board · wound · lash · can · bass · rash · prune · hand

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. board — a flat piece
  2. rash — hasty
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. hand — help
  6. can — a tin
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. board — to get on
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. rash — a series
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. board — a committee
  20. can — a tin
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. prune — to trim
  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