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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.

Make a worksheet

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: temple · pop · stick · mine · wound · lash · bowl · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pop — to visit
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pop — music
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pop — soda
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wound — an injury
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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