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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: rock · pop · lash · can · cold · mate · band · rash

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. can — a tin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. band — a ring
  8. rock — music
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rash — a series
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — to visit
  15. mate — a partner
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. can — a tin
  18. cold — an illness
  19. mate — a friend
  20. can — to be able to
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pop — music
  23. band — a music group
  24. rock — to move gently

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