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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: bulb · bound · shower · lash · kid · rash · current · pitcher

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bound — tied together
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kid — to tease
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bound — certain
  12. rash — a series
  13. current — electric
  14. bulb — for light
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. shower — rain
  22. kid — child
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. lash — to lash out

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