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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.

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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: track · row · lash · fall · temple · spring · pitcher · bound

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bound — tied together
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. spring — the season
  8. track — a song
  9. spring — of water
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bound — certain
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fall — to drop
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. track — a path
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  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