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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. file — a tool
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. file — a document
  9. pound — a weight
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bear — the animal
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. hand — help
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. hand — in cards
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. file — a line of people
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. lash — an eyelash

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