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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: temple · toast · stand · kid · pound · spring · lash · plane

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kid — to tease
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. plane — a tool
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. kid — child
  11. toast — bread
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. spring — the season
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. stand — to bear
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pound — a weight
  21. spring — of water
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. spring — a coil
  24. plane — an aircraft

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