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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: bear · last · spring · pound · foot · kid · lash · kick

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. last — finally
  7. kid — to tease
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. pound — a weight
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bear — the animal
  15. foot — a measure
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. spring — the season
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. spring — of water
  24. foot — part of the body

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