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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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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: bound · lash · net · rush · last · pound · snap · drill

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. last — finally
  4. net — in sport
  5. bound — obliged
  6. last — to go on
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. net — for catching
  12. drill — army training
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. last — final
  16. bound — certain
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. snap — to click
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bound — tied together
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the 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