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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · arm · wind · clip · rash · rest · can · dip

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rest — what's left
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rash — a series
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. dip — to sink
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rest — a break
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. can — a tin
  16. rest — what's left
  17. clip — for paper
  18. can — a tin
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. clip — a video
  21. rash — hasty
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wind — moving air
  24. can — to be able to

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