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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: cue · lash · scale · bass · rash · spring · roll · can

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. roll — a cake
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. roll — a list
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cue — a signal
  11. can — a tin
  12. bass — the fish
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. spring — of water
  17. bass — low music
  18. can — a tin
  19. scale — in music
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. can — to be able to
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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