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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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Word bank
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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: mine · club · toast · bear · wound · root · hand · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. toast — bread
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wound — an injury
  7. root — of a word
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for golf
  13. wound — an injury
  14. root — the cause
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bear — the animal
  21. root — of a plant
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mine — for digging
  24. hand — help

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