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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 · roll · field · rock · shower · last · scale · rash

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. scale — size or range
  3. roll — a list
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. shower — to wash
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rash — a series
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. field — a subject
  17. last — to go on
  18. shower — rain
  19. last — finally
  20. field — farmland
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. last — final
  23. rock — music
  24. field — for sport

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