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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: tear · mark · ground · temple · cabinet · pound · saw · lash

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mark — a grade
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. ground — a position
  7. mark — a trace
  8. tear — from crying
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. tear — from crying
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. ground — the earth
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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