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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 · fan · lash · nail · net · tear · toast · band

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. net — in sport
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. tear — from crying
  7. net — for catching
  8. band — a music group
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. band — a ring
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. tear — from crying
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. toast — bread
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. tear — to rip

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