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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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Word bank
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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: temple · pop · stick · mine · wound · lash

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mine — an explosive

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