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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · wound · wind · lash · lie · march · saw · fine

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. march — the month
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wind — moving air
  6. march — music
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mug — a face
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mug — to rob
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fine — all right
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mug — a cup
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. march — the month

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