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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 · lash · fork · fan · arm · hide · mine · content

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rush — hurry
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. mine — for digging
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fork — in a road
  23. content — the amount
  24. rush — a thrill

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