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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: lash · bore · plane · fan · rash · craft · clip · pop

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pop — to visit
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. craft — boats
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. rash — hasty
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pop — soda
  22. rash — a series
  23. clip — a video
  24. pop — 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