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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 120 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: perch · band · mug · cell · lash · rush · fine · kid

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mug — a face
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. kid — child
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. band — a music group
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mug — to rob
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. kid — to tease
  22. band — a ring
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. band — a rubber band

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