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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: lash · march · field · rash · mouse · chest · cell · perch

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cell — in biology
  5. chest — a box
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. march — music
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. field — for sport
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rash — hasty
  14. perch — the fish
  15. march — the month
  16. rash — a series
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. field — farmland
  20. chest — of your body
  21. field — a subject
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. march — the month
  24. mouse — the animal

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