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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: spring · firm · fall · rash · ball · wind · lash · temple

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rash — a series
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. firm — a company
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rash — hasty
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. firm — steady
  17. fall — to drop
  18. firm — decided
  19. spring — of water
  20. fall — the season
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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