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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: wake · pound · mine · ground · wind · row · lash · can

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wake — a trail
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. can — a tin
  14. ground — a position
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. ground — crushed
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. row — a line
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. can — a tin
  24. ground — the earth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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