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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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. land — a country
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. craft — boats
  6. land — to come down
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. hand — help
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. land — ground
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. craft — a skill
  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