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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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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: pound · racket · can · root · wind · lash · chest · sharp

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. can — a tin
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. root — the cause
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. can — to be able to
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. root — of a plant
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chest — of your body
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wind — moving air
  16. can — a tin
  17. chest — a box
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. root — of a word
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wind — moving air

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