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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: rock · saw · rash · chip · fall · race · craft · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. rock — music
  3. race — humankind
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rash — a series
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. rock — a stone
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fall — to drop
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. fall — to drop
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — boats
  21. chip — to eat
  22. rash — hasty
  23. chip — for betting
  24. race — a contest

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