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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: lash · wake · stick · game · cabinet · wound · rest · pound

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wound — an injury
  19. game — a match
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rest — a break
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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