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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 116 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: kid · sharp · rest · mug · rash · mine · wound · rush

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mug — a face
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rest — a break
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rest — what's left
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. mine — for digging
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. kid — child
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rash — a series

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