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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.

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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: wave · craft · lash · rush · safe · cold · club · wound

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wound — an injury
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cold — an illness
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. club — a group
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cold — not warm
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. craft — boats
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. craft — a skill
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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