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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: board · mark · pound · land · track · foot · wind · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wind — moving air
  6. land — to come down
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. board — a committee
  9. land — a country
  10. board — to get on
  11. wind — moving air
  12. track — a song
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. land — ground
  20. foot — a measure
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. mark — a trace
  23. pound — a weight
  24. track — a path

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