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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: kid · lash · band · bulb · plane · row · fan · kick

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. kid — to tease
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. band — a ring
  8. bulb — for light
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kid — child
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. band — a music group
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fan — a supporter

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