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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: wake · chair · cap · nail · lash · lean · fine · pound

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chair — a leader
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pound — a weight
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cap — a hat
  24. chair — to sit on

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