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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 124 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: present · kick · lash · nail · march · wind

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. kick — in football
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wind — moving air
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — for a hammer

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