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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.

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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: scale · lash · mug · club · cold · nail · file · rush

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. file — a tool
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mug — to rob
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. club — for golf
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mug — a face
  13. file — a line of people
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. scale — in music
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. file — a document
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mug — a cup
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rush — hurry
  24. club — for dancing

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