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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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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: scale · wind · lash · kick · bear · band · hand · nail

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hand — help
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. scale — size or range
  12. hand — in cards
  13. scale — in music
  14. band — a music group
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bear — the animal
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bear — the animal
  24. band — a ring

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