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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pound — a weight
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. squash — to crush
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. squash — the sport
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mark — a trace
  19. spring — of water
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. calf — of the leg

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