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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 116 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: mine · squash · current · kick · plane · lash · row · coach

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. mine — for digging
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. squash — to crush
  7. current — electric
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. row — to paddle
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. current — of water
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. kick — in football
  23. current — happening now
  24. row — a line

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