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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: kick · lean · row · chest · swing · lash · rash · bulb

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. swing — in golf
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. swing — music
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. row — a line
  19. lean — to bend
  20. swing — to play on
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lean — thin
  23. row — to paddle
  24. chest — of your body

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