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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · wound · bat · perch · pound · fork

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bat — the animal
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fork — in a road

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