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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: kid · pitcher · board · wind · bulb · lash · fine · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. board — to get on
  5. kid — child
  6. fine — high quality
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fine — all right
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kid — to tease
  13. board — a committee
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. firm — steady
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bulb — for light
  21. firm — a company
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. lash — to lash out

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