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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rash — hasty
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. band — a ring
  9. pound — a weight
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rash — a series
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. chip — for betting
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. band — a music group
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. kid — to tease

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