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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 · spring · band · file · kick · coach · hand · ground

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. band — a ring
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. spring — the season
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ground — crushed
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. file — a tool
  11. kick — in football
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. hand — in cards
  14. spring — of water
  15. file — a line of people
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. ground — the earth
  18. hand — help
  19. ground — a position
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. band — a music group
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. spring — a coil

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