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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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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: rest · staff · lash · fine · fork · stick · land · pitcher

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. land — ground
  3. staff — a stick
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rest — what's left
  7. land — to come down
  8. staff — employees
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fine — all right
  12. staff — employees
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rest — a break
  21. fork — in a road
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. land — a country

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