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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: rash · lash · date · bank · saw · key · fork · wound

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bank — for money
  3. saw — the tool
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bank — for money
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wound — an injury
  19. key — for a lock
  20. rash — a series
  21. key — in music
  22. bank — of a river
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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