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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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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: rest · bulb · lash · drill · rush · cell · foot · row

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. cell — in biology
  6. row — a line
  7. drill — army training
  8. rest — a break
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. foot — a measure
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bulb — for light

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