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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
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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: last · squash · firm · kid · rash · drill · spring · lash

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. drill — the tool
  6. kid — child
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. last — finally
  9. spring — a coil
  10. rash — hasty
  11. last — to go on
  12. rash — a series
  13. spring — the season
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. firm — a company
  16. last — final
  17. kid — to tease
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. spring — of water
  21. firm — decided
  22. drill — a practice
  23. squash — the sport
  24. drill — army training

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