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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: rash · cue · date · cell · fall · spell · lash · bore

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fall — the season
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bore — to drill
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bore — to tire
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. spell — magic
  11. fall — to drop
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rash — a series
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cell — a phone
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. spell — letters
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cell — in biology
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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