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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: bowl · rock · rash · tube · lash · saw · race · cap

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. race — humankind
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. race — a contest
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rash — hasty
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rock — a stone
  14. saw — the tool
  15. race — the arms race
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rash — a series
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. tube — a container
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. saw — the tool

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