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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: lash · craft · rush · hand · wind · chest · pitcher · bound

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. hand — help
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bound — obliged
  10. craft — boats
  11. rush — hurry
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chest — a box
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bound — tied together
  19. craft — a skill
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bound — certain
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hand — part of the body

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