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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. tube — the underground
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chip — to eat
  10. tube — a container
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. craft — a skill
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. chip — for betting
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. march — the month
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pound — to hit hard

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