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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: pound · chest · bat · trunk · bowl · lash · patient · calf

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pound — a weight
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chest — of your body
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bat — the animal
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. chest — a box
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lash — to lash out

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