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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: kid · rush · wind · squash · bowl · bore · file · lash

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. kid — child
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wind — moving air
  8. file — a document
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bore — to tire
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. file — a tool

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