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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: wound · lash · last · pound · bay · net · arm · temple

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. last — final
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. net — in sport
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wound — an injury
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wound — an injury
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. pound — a weight
  23. last — finally
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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