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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 120 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: lash · cold · prune · rash · can · mate · ground · cabinet

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. can — a tin
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. ground — a position
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. can — to be able to
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. mate — a partner
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rash — a series
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. ground — the earth
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cold — not warm
  23. can — a tin
  24. mate — a friend

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