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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: ground · clip · toast · lash · temple · wound · craft · kid

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. clip — a video
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. craft — a skill
  9. clip — to cut
  10. ground — crushed
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. ground — the earth
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ground — a position
  15. kid — child
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. kid — to tease
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. craft — boats
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. toast — bread
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. clip — for paper

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