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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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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: lie · board · net · kid · bank · wound · lean · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. net — after costs
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lean — to bend
  5. net — for catching
  6. board — to get on
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. kid — to tease
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bank — for money
  12. net — in sport
  13. kid — child
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wound — an injury
  20. board — a committee
  21. lean — thin
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. board — a flat piece

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