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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: firm · current · lash · rash · kid · leaves · field · lie

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. field — a subject
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. kid — to tease
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. firm — steady
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rash — a series
  13. field — farmland
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. current — of water
  16. kid — child
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. field — for sport
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. firm — a company
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. firm — decided
  24. lie — to recline

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