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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: rush · lash · bass · hand · key · band · bat · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wound — an injury
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bass — the fish
  10. key — in music
  11. rush — hurry
  12. key — the most important part
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. band — a ring
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. hand — help
  17. bat — the animal
  18. band — a music group
  19. hand — in cards
  20. key — for a lock
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bass — low music
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bat — in an idiom

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