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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: kick · rash · craft · bass · stick · lash · fork · kid

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bass — low music
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. kid — child
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — boats
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kick — in football
  21. rash — a series
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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