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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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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: drill · fork · kick · lie · pound · stick · lash · arm

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. kick — in football
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. drill — a practice
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. drill — army training
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lie — to recline
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. fork — in a road
  23. drill — the tool
  24. kick — with a leg

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