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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 120 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wound — an injury
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. last — finally
  16. ground — a position
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. lean — thin
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ground — the earth
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  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