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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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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: lash · wake · arm · club · tear · rush · mouse · stand

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. club — a group
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wake — a trail
  18. club — for golf
  19. stand — to bear
  20. club — for dancing
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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