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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: perch · lash · track · wound · bear · pitcher · nail · hand

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wound — an injury
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hand — help
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. hand — in cards
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bear — the animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. bear — to put up with

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