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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. land — ground
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rest — what's left
  9. land — to come down
  10. rest — a break
  11. land — a country
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tube — a container
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kick — in football
  18. tube — the underground
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rash — a series
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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