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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 116 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: calf · net · leaves · march · lie · lash · ground · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. net — after costs
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. ground — a position
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. net — for catching
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ground — the earth
  14. net — in sport
  15. march — music
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. march — the month
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. march — the month
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. ground — crushed
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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