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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 116 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: plane · hand · wake · lash · rash · mug · kick · rush

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rush — hurry
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. hand — in cards
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. kick — in football
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mug — a face
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. mug — a cup
  24. plane — 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