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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: wind · coach · hand · snap · staff · lash · cabinet · rash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wind — moving air
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. staff — a stick
  10. hand — help
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. staff — employees
  15. hand — in cards
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rash — a series
  19. snap — to click
  20. staff — employees
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cabinet — ministers

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