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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: pound · chest · bear · cap · game · saw · temple · lash

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bear — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chest — of your body
  7. saw — the tool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. game — a match
  12. chest — a box
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cap — a hat
  19. chest — of your body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cap — of ice

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