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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: ball · lash · pound · fork · ground · tear · hide · foot

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. ball — a dance
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pound — a weight
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ball — a great time
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. tear — to rip
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. ground — a position
  22. fork — in a road
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ground — the earth

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