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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.

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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 · hand · band · game · pass · lash · rush · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. kid — child
  15. hand — help
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. kid — to tease
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rush — hurry

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