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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 120 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: bound · mug · nail · kick · lash · current · key · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. key — the most important part
  5. kick — in football
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. key — for a lock
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bound — obliged
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bound — certain
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. current — electric
  18. mug — a face
  19. current — of water
  20. bound — tied together
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. current — happening now
  23. mug — to rob
  24. key — in music

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