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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: kid · field · stick · root · pound · lash · rash · wind

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wind — moving air
  3. root — of a word
  4. field — for sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rash — hasty
  8. root — of a plant
  9. kid — to tease
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. field — farmland
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. root — the cause
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. field — a subject
  20. rash — a series
  21. kid — child
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pound — a weight

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