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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 · game · wound · fine · rash · charge · lash · hand

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. game — wild animals
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. charge — electricity
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. charge — a price
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fine — all right
  20. hand — help
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. game — a match
  23. charge — in control
  24. wound — an injury

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