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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: rock · calf · mine · lie · deal · wind · file · lash

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mine — for digging
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wind — moving air
  9. file — a tool
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. lie — to recline
  15. rock — a stone
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. file — a document
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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