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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: cabinet · rash · scale · snap · drill · lash · wind · mine

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. snap — to click
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. scale — size or range
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. drill — army training
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. scale — in music
  20. rash — a series
  21. wind — moving air
  22. drill — the tool
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. lash — an eyelash

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