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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 120 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
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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: ground · wound · mate · rock · hand · tube · cabinet · lash

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. ground — the earth
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mate — to breed
  7. ground — a position
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rock — a stone
  11. tube — a container
  12. hand — help
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hand — in cards
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — a partner
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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