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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 120 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: kick · temple · stock · lash · hand · nail

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stock — goods
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. kick — in football
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stock — shares
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hand — help
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. temple — side of the head

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