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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: fall · lash · wake · ground · rush · club · bank · ball

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ball — a dance
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. club — for golf
  14. bank — for money
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. fall — to drop
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. fall — the season
  23. ground — a position
  24. lash — an eyelash

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