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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: fan · deal · kick · straw · land · lash · fork · pound

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. land — ground
  3. pound — a weight
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. land — a country
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. kick — in football
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. deal — to handle
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. land — to come down
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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