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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: rash · mark · rush · lash · bat · pound · snap · saw

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mark — a trace
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. snap — to click
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. rash — a series
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bat — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. saw — the tool
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rash — on the skin

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