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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: stick · lash · row · club · lie · mine · ruler · wind

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. club — for dancing
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lie — to recline
  10. club — a group
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. row — a line
  13. mine — for digging
  14. row — to paddle
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wind — moving air
  24. club — for golf

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