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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: pound · lash · temple · key · patient · band · branch · ground

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. key — the most important part
  3. branch — a division
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. band — a ring
  6. key — for a lock
  7. ground — a position
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. band — a music group
  10. key — in music
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pound — a weight
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. ground — crushed
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pound — for dogs

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