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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: lash · wound · tear · rash · fine · pitch · staff · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rash — a series
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rash — hasty
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. fine — all right
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. staff — employees
  24. lash — to lash out

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