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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: lash · deal · season · pound · hand · bear · ruler · wake

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. season — of the year
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. season — in sport
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bear — the animal
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pound — a weight
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. deal — to handle
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. deal — a big deal

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