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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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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: bulb · rush · stock · swing · fork · lash · cabinet · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. swing — music
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bulb — for light
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stock — goods
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bulb — for light
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stock — shares
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. swing — to play on

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