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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 make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. deal — to handle
  9. ground — a position
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. ground — crushed
  16. tube — the underground
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. tube — a container
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. wind — moving air

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