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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: chest · cold · mouse · wound · lash · object · ball · lie

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cold — an illness
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. object — a thing
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. chest — a box
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. object — an aim
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. lie — to recline
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. object — to protest
  24. ball — a great time

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