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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: chest · rest · wake · roll · craft · rush · lash · wound

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chest — of your body
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rest — a break
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chest — a box
  9. roll — a list
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rush — hurry
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rest — what's left
  17. craft — boats
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. craft — a skill
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lash — an eyelash

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