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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: firm · kick · fan · rash · net · lash · drill · spring

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — decided
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. spring — the season
  7. drill — the tool
  8. spring — a coil
  9. net — in sport
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. net — for catching
  15. firm — steady
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. kick — in football
  20. drill — army training
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spring — of water
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. rash — on the skin

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