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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: mine · lash · temple · mate · deal · bass · snap · pound

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pound — a weight
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. snap — to click
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mate — a friend
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bass — low music
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mate — a partner
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bass — the fish

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