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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: object · lash · key · chest · fine · wound · field · hand

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. fine — all right
  4. object — to protest
  5. hand — in cards
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — a thing
  8. fine — high quality
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chest — of your body
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. key — the most important part
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. hand — help
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. key — in music
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chest — a box

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