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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 116 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rest — a break
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bear — the animal
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. lie — to recline
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pound — a weight
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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