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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. board — a committee
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. hand — help
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. march — the month
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pound — a weight
  24. board — to get on

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