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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: lash · hide · march · wound · stick · object · bat · drill

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. march — music
  3. drill — the tool
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. drill — army training
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. object — an aim
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bat — the animal
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. object — to protest
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. drill — a practice
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. object — a thing
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. wound — an injury

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