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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: bass · rush · lash · wind · cabinet · shower · mouse · field

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. shower — rain
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. shower — to wash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. field — farmland
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bass — low music
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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