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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. band — a music group
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. season — of the year
  7. band — a ring
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pound — a weight
  11. ground — a position
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ground — the earth
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pitcher — a jug

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