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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · lash · rest · hand · rash · jam · club · wound

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. hand — help
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rest — what's left
  6. content — happy
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. club — a group
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. content — the amount
  18. rash — a series
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rest — a break
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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